Director Jon M. Chu has found his Prince Adam and he didn’t have to look further than his own filmography. Channing Tatum, who worked with Chu on the first two STEP UP films as well as this year’s G.I. JOE: RETALIATION, will play the one and only He-Man in the remake of MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE. That’s right, not only will Tatum be forever linked with one 1980s childhood toy but two. Chu, whose G.I. JOE: RETALIATION faced a huge delay from Summer 2012 to March 2013, is hoping to take a contemporary spin on the MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE mythology, but keep all of the classic aspects of the cartoon intact.
Tatum obviously possesses the physical presence to portray He-Man and has proven the box office clout with his successes in theaters last year. While the original G.I. JOE movie was panned by fans, one of the bright spots was Tatum’s take on Duke. With RETALIATION opening this weekend to $40 million, it seemed the ideal moment for the studio to capitalize on Chu and Tatum and reveal this next project.
The plot of the film has not been revealed until now. The press release indicates that the film is now officially titled MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE 3D and will tell the story of Prince Adam (Tatum), son of King Randor of Eternia. When the King is overthrown by his trusted advisor Skeletor, Prince Adam is cast off to the wastelands of the planet along with his sister Adora, his mentor Duncan, and his childhood friend Teela. Together, the siblings encounter a mythical sorceress who shows them the power of Castle Greyskull, the mystical center of the planet. With the Sword of Power, Adam will become He-Man, the Master of the Universe!
That’s right people, Adora! That means that not only will MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE 3D feature He-Man, but She-Ra as well! It is not a stretch to imagine that they are going to go for a franchise with this movie and set up a possible spinoff for He-Man’s sister. In keeping with recent comments from Chu, this is not going to be a cheezy cartoon adaptation but something darker, hopefully more like G.I. JOE: RETALIATION.
According to the studio press release, Channing Tatum had this to say about taking the iconic role:,
“It brings me back to my youth and I knew I had to be a part of getting this movie together. For every MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE fan out there, it felt like it was time and I wanted to make sure to protect it in the process.”
Chu also added this:
“I never expected to connect on a human level to a MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE movie but I really plugged in emotionally. That alone, got me excited to see what we could do with the property. Chan is the ideal choice for the role and will show audiences that he has the power!”
No additional casting has been announced yet, but Chu has mentioned the posibility of bringing Dolph Lundgren back. While there may not be a direct way to tie the 1987 original with this new remake, theories have Lundgren playing King Randor.
Richard Wenk‘s draft of the screenplay is said to keep many of the classic characters intact and does not relocate the action from Eternia to our world as the original movie did. Keeping the movie a science fiction/fantasy epic will set it apart from other franchises. Chu is looking to shoot the film entirely in 3D with the potential to incorporate IMAX footage as well. All the more better to visualize Castle Greyskull and Snake Mountain on the big screen.
MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE 3D starring Channing Tatum will open everywhere on April 1, 2015. Visit Deadline.com for more info and pics.
