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'Grayskull' lands new writer
Rookie scribe Evan Daugherty comes aboard He-Man project
By Borys Kit and Jay A. Fernandez
May 12, 2009, 11:00 PM ET
He-Man
Warner Bros. and Silver Pictures have tapped newcomer Evan Daugherty to pen the latest draft of "Grayskull," the studio's big-screen take on Mattel's "Masters of the Universe" cartoon and toy line.
John Stevenson ("Kung Fu Panda") is attached to direct the adaptation of the show, which followed a blond warrior named Prince Adam who, when uttering the magic words, "By the power of Grayskull -- I have the power," turned into the heroic He-Man. He and his allies -- Battle Cat, Man-at-Arms and Orko -- defended their planet Eternia from the evil forces of Skeletor, who tried week after week to conquer the fortress Castle Grayskull, which imbued He-Man with his powers.
Warners sees the big-screen version as a gritty fantasy and reimagines Adam as a soldier who sets off to find his destiny, happening upon the magical world of Eternia. There, Skeletor has raised a technological army and is bent on eradicating magic.
Justin Marks penned the previous draft.
Warner Bros. and Mattel will be parting company on "Masters of the Universe," the live-action reinvention of the signature Mattel toy line that WB and producer Joel Silver have been developing since 2007.
Mattel and WB didn't see eye to eye over the direction of the project and made a mutual decision to let the option lapse this month. Story revolves around He-Man, a prince who becomes a warrior battling the evil Skeletor for control of his magical homeland.
Mattel will take back the property and set it up elsewhere. The expectation is that director John Stevenson ("Kung Fu Panda") will remain with the project, but not Silver, who is exclusive to WB.
As Disney's Marvel Entertainment acquisition and WB's overhaul of DC Comics and its movie output shows, branded properties are important commodities. The owners of those brands now have more direct involvement -- and higher expectations.
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