With classic cartoons getting their own live-action movies, like TRANSFORMERS and G.I. JOE, there have been many efforts to get more properties off the ground. One that’s had more trouble than most is MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, which has struggled to keep a director. Now the project is heading full steam into production as Sony has finally nabbed another director for the adaptation: MAN OF STEEL scribe David S. Goyer.
The story comes from The Wrap saying Goyer will direct the movie about the character He-Man as he fights the evil Skeletor to save the planet of Eternia, and all with the help a whole band of colorful characters ripped out of a drug-fueled dream. Goyer was also brought on to write the recent draft of the script some months ago, and the movie is set for December 18, 2019. And, no, there's no word yet on if Dolph Lundgren will appear in an homage to the 1987 version.
The movie has lost numerous directors over the years, including Jon M. Chu and most recently McG back in April. Though Goyer is most known for his work on STEEL and with Christopher Nolan on THE DARK KNIGHT trilogy, he has directed movies in the past, like BLADE: TRINITY. Directing MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE adds to an already crowded plate for the man, as it was announced at the beginning of the year he was co-producing and writing the GREEN LANTERN CORPS movie, and a few months ago was said to be in the writer’s room for the new TERMINATOR trilogy.
Goyer’s got some good work under his belt, like with DARK KNIGHT, the first two BLADE movies and the 90’s flick DARK CITY, but he’s also done GHOST RIDER, BLADE 3, and some forgettable horror flicks. Basically, it’s a mixed bag, but I trust he had a great pitch for MASTERS or else Sony wouldn’t trust him to handle directing. I wish him all the luck in the world, and only hope his pitch to the studio wasn’t to make a dark and gritty MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE flick.
MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE is set for December 18, 2019.