Mattel launches new film division, yet no word on MOTU
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Two of the first projects Brenner is expected to tackle for Mattel are films based on Barbie and Masters of the Universe. Both have reportedly been in development for years, and have been delayed by setbacks, including scrapping a Barbie concept last year that was going to star actress Amy Schumer. The former Relativity Media executive who’ll be leading Mattel’s movie team has worked on a variety of films during her career, ranging from fairy tales like “Mirror Mirror” to action movies such as “Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem.”
Masters of the Universe, with characters like He-Man and Skeletor, was a gigantic toy franchise for Mattel in the 1980s with a hit animated television series, but now it’s essentially a dead brand -- a lot like Transformers before Hasbro re-booted it with a live-action movie in 2007 that catapulted it into a global phenomenon. And Hasbro has shown no signs of slowing down with a sixth film in this franchise coming this year and plans for more.
Brenner sees the same kinds of opportunities at Mattel.
“Generations of children around the world have grown up with deep emotional connections to Mattel’s brands and characters,” Brenner said in a statement. “There are so many stories to be told and so many imaginations to be captured by these iconic brands.”
Art Marcum and Matt Holloway have been tapped to pen Sony Pictures and Mattel Films’ “Master of Universe” reboot with brothers Adam and Aaron Nee still directing.
Mattel Films is partnering with Sony Pictures on the feature film, which is based on Mattel’s beloved toy-line that spawned a successful animated TV series (1983-85) as well as a 1987 film. The property centers on the warrior He-Man, the last hope of a magical land called Eternia. Dolph Lundgren starred in the original pic as the title character, while Frank Langella played the villainous Skeletor.
Escape Artists’ Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch, as well as DeVon Franklin will be producing. The previous draft of the screenplay was written by David S. Goyer, who is also an executive producer.
The previous draft of the screenplay was written by David S. Goyer, who is also an executive producer.
The movie reunites Sony with the writing pair who recently finished “Men in Black: International”, which bows on June 14 and stars Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson and Liam Neeson.
Holloway and Marcum’s additional credits include “Iron Man” and “Transformers: the Last Night.” They are represented by CAA, Grandview, and attorney Mark Bisgeier.
Late last year, Sony's leadership team of chairman Tom Rothman and Columbia Pictures president Sanford Panitch was under the blade of He-Man's Power Sword. After having ceded the big-brand IP of Barbie to Warner Bros., Sony was facing the loss of a second Mattel property, Masters of the Universe.
Despite spending what insiders say was about $15 million since 2007 developing a much-needed franchise, the studio never pulled the trigger, mainly due to previous regimes' trigger shy approach to the material. Mattel was ready to take the rights elsewhere before intense talks ended, with Sony keeping He-Man at the studio. In fact, to keep the momentum and happy new vibes of a renewed partnership going, Sony hired new writers to work on the script.
HUANTE: “Like I said, that [original He-Man cartoon] was my first professional job. I was a runner there. My life drawing instructor worked there at Filmation. I visited him there for lunch and left there with a job as a runner… I did get into the industry that way and discovered what was available for me to work in, so He-Man is kind of my foundation. Well, it was my pathway into this industry.”
“When they called me to work on the film I was very happy. It was kind of like the call I got from Ridley, to work on Prometheus in that it was a revisit to my childhood and my beginnings so to speak. So with He-Man, now because it has this history with me I was very excited. I know these characters really well and I was ready to work..and I did. I worked on it for several weeks and the script that Goyer had, he was directing and he wrote the script, was great I actually thought it was really good, which I don’t say that often. This one was fun and it made the world more fantastic than I thought it could go. It felt arty and fantastical at the same time. “
“The director’s script was big and the studio didn’t want to fund that movie and so the director quit… He was great [Goyer] I loved where he was going with that story it was great fun, but once that went away we got let go too.”
“I’m not going to talk too much about it [in great detail], I know they’re making it still but I’ll tell you it was… just the story of Greyskull and that sort of thing and there was some really cool stuff in there. I don’t think they’re gonna make that version. I know they’re not going to, it was like a Lord of The Rings film, it was huge! And there was all kinds of stuff in there, you could have divided up that script into three movies and it would have worked. That’s how big it was. I would have loved to have spent a lot of time on that one. It was a more fantastic version of Lord of The Rings, is what I’ll say. It’s a more colorful and fantastical version of Lord of The Rings, but it felt as real as Lord of The Rings. It was very real but very far-out. It was a final return to science fiction fantasy where we’ve only had one, Star Wars.”
“They screwed-up by not allowing Goyer to make it in my opinion. it was a slam-dunk money maker.”
Noah Centineo is in talks to play the lead role of He-Man in Sony Pictures and Mattel Films “Masters of the Universe,” an individual with knowledge of the project exclusively tells TheWrap.
Aaron and Adam Nee are set to direct from a script rewritten by “Iron Man” screenwriters Matt Holloway and Art Marcum. The Nee Brothers also have screenwriting credit.
The project was previously written by David S. Goyer, who is also an executive producer.
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The new film is being produced by Escape Artists principals Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch.
Hot off the success of Netflix’s “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” and “Sierra Burgess Is A Loser,” Centineo just began production on “To All The Boys 2” and will be seen in “Charlie’s Angels” later this year.
DiscussingFilm @DiscussingFilm
‘MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE’ is set to begin filming on August 19th in Prague. (EXCLUSIVE)
Sony Pictures and Mattel Films have set a March 5, 2021, release date for Masters of the Universe, the latest film adaptation of a Mattel toy line.
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