Live Action He-Man Movie

[buster00]

I'd like to see this succeed so they can introduce Hordak in the sequel.

[Fawst]

Oh, thanks Buster. I meant to say I want them to introduce She-ra right away. At LEAST as a cameo as "Adam's cousin" in a court scene or something. Because yah... we kinda need Hordak at some point.

[Chairman Kaga]

But she was in another dimension or some such...How would she show up in the first film?

[Fried Gold]

The cartoons were tripe. They were only good for 6-9 year olds in the 80s. If I were making the movie, I wouldn't hassle myself with trying to emulate them. Use the story basis and the essence of it, but steer clear of the cartoon ideas.

[buster00]

The cartoons were tripe. They were only good for 6-9 year olds in the 80s. If I were making the movie, I wouldn't hassle myself with trying to emulate them. Use the story basis and the essence of it, but steer clear of the cartoon ideas.

The Cartoon Network's recent update was pretty cool. They even worked in a good Snake Men storyline. It's a shame it didn't catch on.

[TheButcher]

Ugh, Cringer... must they have Cringer? Can't Adam just simply have his "steed" be a non-talking, non-goofy giant feline? That would be awesome if instead of horses in Eternia, they had giant cats. I mean, why are there only two? Battle-Cat and Skeletor's panther? They should have more than that.

Yeah, your right Cringer sucks.
Skeletor's panter was named Panthor. Why didn't he get a cooler name?

Sword and Sandal might be the most ALF (and yes, I typed ALF, not r-tarded) genre description ever. Besides, the Eternians wore boots

I have a feeling they're going to pronounce He-Man as "Hee-min," kinda like Conan is pronounced. Which, while better than "HEE-MAN," is WAY too close to "Hymen."

I digress.

I am looking forward to this like nobody's business. Maybe we'll get lucky and He-Man will actually use his sword, and not lazer guns.

Should the producers rename characters?
Would it be a big mistake to change a name like Man-E-Faces or Buzz Off?

[Peven]

the best He-Man movie will not be as good as a mediocre Thundarr movie.

[Chairman Kaga]

I think they both have interesting advantages. He-Man can be another Star Wars in that it's a fairy tale on another world while Thundarr can brings us an awesome post apocalypse Earth.

[minstrel]

And then there can be the inevitable He-Man vs. Thundarr.

Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson.

[TheButcher]

But will it have a He-Man Thundarr hybrid in it?
He-Darr the Barbarian Master of the Universe!

[Fievel]

I thought the 1987 version with He-Man on Earth WAS Paul W.S. Anderson!! It obviously inspired him.

[King Psyz]

it may have been what shaped his career to come...

[Peven]

And then there can be the inevitable He-Man vs. Thundarr.

Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson.

Thundarr would make He-Man his bitch.

[papalazeru]

No you need to have Orko. Maybe give him a more yoda feel like was originally intended. Mischevious old little dude who's also imensely powerful.

Agreed. Orko is needed even it's just a reference.

Let's have a scene with an all out attack when some random extra gets kicked and Adam is like,
'Orko, no!', thus sending Adam on a complete unwarranted Michael Bay style killing spree.

[buster00]

No you need to have Orko. Maybe give him a more yoda feel like was originally intended. Mischevious old little dude who's also imensely powerful.

Wha...? Where did you hear that?

I was under the impression that Orko was always supposed to have been a comic relief.

[King Psyz]

I recall in those comic books that he got alot more right and wasn't as useless.

At the time Yoda and Star Wars were hot properties and I have always felt it was there attempt to grab onto that.

A refrence the carton people missed entirely it seems.

[TheButcher]

Even though this Joel Silver produced He-Man film apparently already has a writer (and is likely to be production hell for a little while longer), comic book writer Kaare Andrews has put together an animated video pitch for the job - you can read more about it and watch the video here:

http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3580&Itemid=99

I saw this over on He-Man.org:

Kaare Andrews's conceptual piece drew a lot of interest, and fans want to know more about Kaare and his vision.

Well, now is your chance to find out more!

Please participate in the Q&A we'll have with Kaare about his pitch.
The Q&A thread will close on December 1st.

http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/showthread.php?t=155283

[Fievel]

He-Man Org... is that some sort of Scientology Super Soldier!?!?

[Bayouwolf]

He-Man Org... is that some sort of Scientology Super Soldier!?!?

Sounds more like Dumbledore porn...

[LaDracul]

I recall in those comic books that he got alot more right and wasn't as useless.

At the time Yoda and Star Wars were hot properties and I have always felt it was there attempt to grab onto that.

A refrence the carton people missed entirely it seems.

I think they had in the newer version that Orko was stranded in Eternia after he broke his wand trying to save Prince Adam. So some of his blunders came from the fact his wand wasn't working properly... (I'm trying to remember what I can from that one...I haven't seen it in a while.)

[Bayouwolf]

So some of his blunders came from the fact his wand wasn't working properly...

So, is Ron Weasley Orko?

[LaDracul]

So some of his blunders came from the fact his wand wasn't working properly...

So, is Ron Weasley Orko?

Hmm...never thought of it that way...of course, I don't know if whoever wrote the episode saw "Chamber of Secrets" or if it predated the film version...

[buster00]

So some of his blunders came from the fact his wand wasn't working properly...

So, is Ron Weasley Orko?

Nah, Orko is Presto.

[Peven]

So some of his blunders came from the fact his wand wasn't working properly...

there is an animated character based on Kirk?

[TheButcher]

Mattel is going to produce a new line of He-Man action figures.

Greg (Sword-of-Grayskull) has been at the NYCC taking notes for all of us who can't be there.
Here's a quick recap of the details revealed during a slideshow at the panel:

The line will be a 6" Masters of the Universe collector's line

The line will be super-poseable, using high-end articulation

It will be comparable to the DC Universe line that is currently being produced by Mattel and sculpted by the 4H

Mattel stated this line is definitely going to be for the collectors, and not for children

They will be shipped in even case ratios. Mattel said "You are not going to see six Skeletors and one Beastman"

The first figure in the line will be King Grayskull, who will be a SDCC Exclusive.

King Grayskull will have a chase variant that is colored to look like the statue of King Grayskull seen by Adam from the MYP Power of Grayskull episode

This collector's line will contain "the entire pantheon of MOTU characters", which will include characters from the classic MOTU toy line, the New Adventures of He-Man, MYP cartoon characters, characters from the mini-comics (a photo of the Green Goddess was flashed), characters from the unproduced Powers of Grayskull line (a photo of He-Ro was flashed), and POP characters (a screengrab of Force Captain Adora from SOTS was flashed)

source : http://www.he-man.org/

[ironic name]

http://toynewsi.com/news.php?catid=20&itemid=12831

[yorrick brown]

masters of the universe script review.

http://latinoreview.com/news/grayskull-masters-of-the-universe-script-review-4765

from chud.com

When you're making a movie about stand up comics, it makes sense to cast stand-up comics. Which is why Judd Apatow is in talks with none other than Eric Bana to appear on his next, yet untitled, film (we told you the basic concept of this one, via MTV.com, yesterday).

Okay, to U.S. readers the very serious, often action-oriented Bana may be a weird choice, but those of you from Down Under will know that Bana actually started out as a very popular comic. I don't know what his act was like, having never seen it (I like to imagine he had a puppet. Who was the guy who had the mildly ALF puppet with a football helmet? That shit made Comedy Central what it is today!), but he has the comedy background.

My source, known only as Zohan, says that Bana has been approached to play Clarke, Leslie Mann's boyfriend. And of course casting Bana would be an incredible inside joke after the Munich shout-out in Knocked Up.

[Fievel]

WOW!!!
What they wrote makes it sound like it could be an amazing picture/trilogy!!
I love the setup that the script provides.

NO CHEESE!
NO ORKO!!!
Can't fail!!!

[Nachokoolaid]

Ok, that script review sounded badass. I'm actually hoping this happens, because I was a really big He-man fan growing up.

[judderman]

Jeez. That opening so brazenly knocks off the opening of FotR that I don't even feel like a snotty fanboy for saying so. I mean seriously dude; if you're going to bait us with this sort of thing, at least make us work for it.

[so sorry]

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:
WOW!!!
What they wrote makes it sound like it could be an amazing picture/trilogy!!
I love the setup that the script provides.

NO CHEESE!
NO ORKO!!!
Can't fail!!!

No cheese? Really?

I can't possible see this film not being laughably silly. And yes, I read that script review.

[papalazeru]

NO CHEESE!
NO ORKO!!!
Can't fail!!!

No Orko?

That's like having Thundercats without Snarf.

Tantamount to heresy.

[Fievel]

NO CHEESE!
NO ORKO!!!
Can't fail!!!

No Orko?

That's like having Thundercats without Snarf.

Tantamount to heresy.

Bah!
This sounds like it's going to be more in line with the little comic books that used to come with the original figures. Before Orko.

[RogueScribner]

Why would a whale be He-Man's companion?

[papalazeru]

Why would a whale be He-Man's companion?

Because Willy was booked at Sea World.

[Fawst]

Marks fucking nailed it.

THIS is what I'm talking about, this is the fucking BOMB right here. If they go a BIT deeper into the mythology aspect of it, I'll be completely sold, but as it stands now, this is awesome. And ya know what? Who gives a FUCK that it sorta rips off the FotR opening? I certainly don't. Openings like that aren't done nearly enough. So long as they flip the imagery of the opening battle so that our heroes are on the RIGHT side of the screen facing to the left where the bad guys are, then it won't be completely like Fellowship

But yah, Marks took one aspect from the Lundgren film that worked and he rolled with it: the melding of fantasy and sci-fi. Castle Grayskull looked like a hotel out of the PT in the Lundgren version. But the idea that there are these technologically augmented warriors facing off against cyborg-like beasts is just jizzworthy. Marks "gets" it. I like this cat, I'll be looking forward to more of his stuff.

[judderman]

Who gives a FUCK that it sorta rips off the FotR opening? I certainly don't.

Neither do I, but I note it as a curiosity. Ripoffs of such epic blatancy are rare even in today's creatively bankrupt Hollywood. To do so at the very start of a film, and with such a risky property, takes a certain kind of audacious insanity. I almost feel like commending him. I certainly would not have had the guts to do that.

[DerLanghaarige]

I'm not sure about this. There is a difference between taking a source material serious and TOO serious and from what I've read, this script seem to get one step too far. (Of course I may be wrong and the review just made it look like that.)
I don't want this to be a pseudo-smart borefest like Batman Begins or Battlestar Galactica. He-Man was (despite it's Barbarian-ish theme) always bright and colorful fantasy. Of course I don't mean that I want this to be like Batman Forever or even *gasp* Batman & Robin, but something like...let's say X-Men 2. A movie that has lots of dark moments and treats its silly concept serious, but also is some damn good entertainment.
Oh, and I hope they keep Zach Snyder far away from this.

[TheButcher]

I can't wait to see this movie.

With the success of Transformers, WB has been hoping to cash in on the 80's cartoon revival. I've been told the script is in good shape and, prior to Speed Racer opening, Joel Silver who produced Speed and is also producing MOTU was hoping to get the "go ahead" from the studio with a late '09 release date.

I don't know how, or if, the disastrous box office performance of Speed Racer has in any way effected WB's plans for the big screen adaptation of the 80's cartoon but with rival studios like Paramount releasing Transformers 2 and G.I. Joe in '09, it's getting crowded and time is running out for the Burbank Studio.

source : IESB

[Fievel]

I'm not sure about this. There is a difference between taking a source material serious and TOO serious and from what I've read, this script seem to get one step too far. (Of course I may be wrong and the review just made it look like that.)
I don't want this to be a pseudo-smart borefest like Batman Begins or Battlestar Galactica. He-Man was (despite it's Barbarian-ish theme) always bright and colorful fantasy. Of course I don't mean that I want this to be like Batman Forever or even *gasp* Batman & Robin, but something like...let's say X-Men 2. A movie that has lots of dark moments and treats its silly concept serious, but also is some damn good entertainment.
Oh, and I hope they keep Zach Snyder far away from this.

When the action figures first came out in the early 1980's they came with tiny comic books included in the packaging. They were neither bright nor colorful.... except for the fact that they were IN color. They were extremely serious in tone - a far cry from the cartoon that would soon follow. I remember being bummed that the toon was so goofy and had a character like Orko. The "lesson learned" in each episode was weak, too. A comment was made either here on at LR that this is a movie 25 years in the making... I fully agree with that.

[SilentBobX]

I do recall the comics were more serious in tone, and one of the reasons I kinda liked Skeletor in retrospect is cause later on he reminded me of the skull on the Evil Dead 2 poster.

The first episode started decently enough. Skeletor looked pretty menacing(as if Ghost Rider, and a member of the blue man group had a kid, albeit on steroids), and it had promise. The problem was that it went pretty far south after that. More characters, Skeletor became a pantomime villain that turned out to be as threatening as Orko.

Altho you really can't help but laugh at a name like He-Man. He-Man, contrary to popular opinion, wasn't a Conan ripoff, but a Thundarr ripoff. If you look at the characters closely, you'll see He-Man looks more like a roided Thundarr than a Conan knockoff.

The movie, I'm not that psyched for. If you want to get me jumping for joy and happy, then let me know when a live action Centurions movie is en route to the multiplex. Let's hope Iron Man can convince someone that that's an idea worth exploring.

Mahalo

[TheButcher]

The He-Man/Conan controversy.

Originally, the He-Man action figures were designed as a toy line for the Conan The Barbarian movie, but Mattel president Ray Wagner decided instead to come up with a new proprietary male action line possibly due to the violence and sexuality in the Conan film, they knew that few children would be allowed to view it, and would be a marketing disaster.[4] So they altered the figures and changed his name to He-Man. The toys that had already been put into production were changed and combined with the ideas of Ray Wagner.[citation needed]

Wagner wanted a strong line to compete with the then popular Star Wars line of toys; a license that he had ironically rejected purchasing for Mattel in 1977. In an attempt to fulfill Wagner's request, the He-Man concept came into existence, with Roger Sweet heading its development.

Sweet's hard work resulted in the "He-Man trio", three 9½ inch tall prototype figures created using "Big Jim" molds. One was a barbarian fantasy themed figure, one a military toy in the vein of G.I. Joe and one was a Star Wars-esque space man, complete with jet-pack.

Several months of development work occurred at Mattel before the new Masters Of The Universe line began to hit the market in late 1981. Filmation writers and many other varied personnel joined in to contribute greatly to the success of the line.

source : wiki

Two years earlier, in 1981, Mattel kept a watchful eye out for its next big hit. Martin Arriola, now a senior staff designer with Mattel, was a designer on Masters for most of its initial six-year run. He remembers that the company was performing market research into doing figures based on Robert E. Howard's popular Conan the Barbarian character. Renderings of the Cimmerian warlord were created, one of which was by staff artist Mark Taylor. Arriola saw that what Taylor was creating was just a little bit different. "It was Conan-like," Arriola says, "but he had blond hair instead of dark. We also had renderings for Skeletor and Beast Man."

Though Arriola won't swear this is exactly how it went down, to the best of his knowledge these drawings were added into the market research already being performed for a potential Conan line. Faced with a choice between Conan and He-Man, more kids chose He-Man.

Betting squarely on this new franchise, Mattel then created a backstory for the character and released the first figures to the market in 1981, each with its own mini-comic. "[He-Man's]original storyline was a lot different than what they did in the animation," recalls David Wolfram, now a design manager at Mattel, who designed He-Man toys during their last years on the market. "He was a lot more of a barbarian in the beginning, and it was a lot more sword-and-sorcery oriented." The Conan inspiration was shining through.

source : He-Man.org

[Worst Part's Almost Over]

Just read the script review - this could totally work!! It sounds really fun, action packed and ready to explore an actual mythos about MOTU. I'm in, if this script gets made into a film with a great cast and great director, I'm totally in.

All we need now is for Sean Connery to come out of retirement and voice Battle Cat

[Lord Voldemoo]

If we can live in a world where "Galactica 1980" and today's BSG shares essentially the same source material, then I have hope that good writers can take anything and make it not stupid...

I'm not expecting brilliance, but this does sound promising...

[Bloo]

I read the script review and it does sound awesome and intense. And while this may sound like blasphmay, I do think they need some kind of comic releif, I was a big Orko fan back and the day (when I was like 6, 7, 8) and I have to think there would be some way to incorparate him into it. The reviewer kept citing 300, and even that had some humor in it. I don't know if it'll be a success if it doesn't have any humor. Maybe I misread it and there is some humor, not just cheezy humor, I'm not sure

[buster00]

Save Orko's big scene until the end of the movie, when he can discuss the moral of the story.

[Bloo]

Save Orko's big scene until the end of the movie, when he can discuss the moral of the story.

perfect, maybe Sam Jackson can play Orko, right after the credits

[bastard_robo]

I don't know.. The script sounds OK to me.

I will say its much better than Mark's VOLTRON script. That thing looked like a nightmare humped by a night terror.

I get what he's trying to do, and I will freely admit that MOTU isn't everyone's cup O' Tea, but something, and I cant put my finger on it really, just doesn't bode well with me.

I think the whole Batman Begins' take on it is one of the things. It seem like they're going with that combined with a CONAN route (IE Adam spends 7 years getting into shape, so when we see him at age 21, he's already built like HE-MAN, and all the sword dose is just the magical sword powers..) So no changing with BY THE POWER OF GREYSKULL.

I guess we'll see.

[TheButcher]

From Super Hero Hype and MTV:
‘He-Man’ Movie Will Go Realistic: ‘We’re Not Talking About Putting Nipples On The Trapjaw Suit’

Published by Shawn Adler on Thursday, August 14, 2008 at 2:58 pm.
By the power of Grayskull, how the heck do you turn a hero famous for a whimsical cartoon into a credible action hero? You first have to make him real, “Grayskull” screenwriter Justin Marks told MTV News.

“I grew up on the ‘He-Man’ cartoon and watched ‘He-Man’ six days a week. The notion that I think we most took from the cartoon are the characters, and trying to find a way that is true to them,” he said of his planned adaptation, which is currently in development at Warner Brothers. “Now, at the same time, we had to come up with why that is the way it is. I mean you’re talking about sword-and-sandal meets science fiction meets fantasy meets everything, and how does that all kind of blend into the same world? And so we had to come up with very specific rules that explained why Trapjaw looks the way he looks, and why Cyclops — who is awesome — looks the way he looks.”

Call it the “Batman Begins-ification” of He-Man, the shift of tone that helped make “The Dark Knight” so wildly successful, and is now being copied in varying degrees with reinventions of characters as diverse as Robocop, James Bond, and Red Sonja.

It’s an approach Marks is using on “Grayskull,” as well, he said, to help explain some of the sillier aspects to the characters.

“The script is very true to the characters — we’re not talking about putting nipples on the Trapjaw suit. But we had to come up with a reason again why Trapjaw would actually not just be something that’s totally absurd, but why he would need those bionic parts added to him,” Marks insisted. “Which gives a sort of sense of where [the movie] is going in some way.”

Given a realistic base, Marks said he has more latitude in creating He-Man’s world of Eternia — free to create an epic universe unlike “anything we’ve ever seen before on a visual level.”

[SilentBobX]

From Super Hero Hypeand MTV:
‘He-Man’ Movie Will Go Realistic: ‘We’re Not Talking About Putting Nipples On The Trapjaw Suit’

Published by Shawn Adler on Thursday, August 14, 2008 at 2:58 pm.
By the power of Grayskull, how the heck do you turn a hero famous for a whimsical cartoon into a credible action hero? You first have to make him real, “Grayskull” screenwriter Justin Marks told MTV News.

“I grew up on the ‘He-Man’ cartoon and watched ‘He-Man’ six days a week. The notion that I think we most took from the cartoon are the characters, and trying to find a way that is true to them,” he said of his planned adaptation, which is currently in development at Warner Brothers. “Now, at the same time, we had to come up with why that is the way it is. I mean you’re talking about sword-and-sandal meets science fiction meets fantasy meets everything, and how does that all kind of blend into the same world? And so we had to come up with very specific rules that explained why Trapjaw looks the way he looks, and why Cyclops — who is awesome — looks the way he looks.”

Call it the “Batman Begins-ification” of He-Man, the shift of tone that helped make “The Dark Knight” so wildly successful, and is now being copied in varying degrees with reinventions of characters as diverse as Robocop, James Bond, and Red Sonja.

It’s an approach Marks is using on “Grayskull,” as well, he said, to help explain some of the sillier aspects to the characters.

“The script is very true to the characters — we’re not talking about putting nipples on the Trapjaw suit. But we had to come up with a reason again why Trapjaw would actually not just be something that’s totally absurd, but why he would need those bionic parts added to him,” Marks insisted. “Which gives a sort of sense of where [the movie] is going in some way.”

Given a realistic base, Marks said he has more latitude in creating He-Man’s world of Eternia — free to create an epic universe unlike “anything we’ve ever seen before on a visual level.”

Well for starters, not to sound like I ummm, know too much, but Trapjaw didn't wear a shirt, so his nipples are visible. Sadly, Teel's aren't. Also, it's Tri-Klops, not Cyclops. Wow, six days a week, eh? Probably with bad reception and the volume turned down it sounds like........

Mahalo