Masters Of The Universe Movie Will Be Faithful And Funny, Similar To Thor: Ragnarok [SXSW]
"I have the power!" Yes, a gentle reminder that a new "Masters of the Universe" live-action film is still in the works. In an interview with "The Lost City" directors Aaron and Adam Nee at SXSW conducted by /Film's Jacob Hall, the filmmaking duo revealed that their upcoming "Masters of the Universe" movie will be a "wild and crazy" adaptation that will be similar in tone to Taika Waititi's "Thor: Ragnarok." This is great news for He-Man fans, especially ones who grew up watching the original and collected their fair share of well-worn vintage He-Man toys.
'Everything comes to he who waits...'
The "Masters of the Universe" movie has been in the works since 2018, and not many details are known about the film in question, except the fact that Noah Centineo was once attached to the project and was supposed to play He-Man. Aaron Nee talked at length about the legacy of the franchise and the emotions of "empowerment" it evoked in audiences during their formative years:
"It's a wild, crazy property, and we wanted to keep it wild and crazy. Like, you had just wacky characters, but what we also wanted to keep is that, what it was to experience those toys and those cartoons as kids. Whereas kids, we took it completely seriously, and trying to tap into, what was it that it was making us feel then? That empowerment that made us feel, and that sort of wide-eyed wonder of the incredible things that can happen, and the incredible worlds that you can encounter. And so we want that wildness, but also the sort of reverence and love of it, that we saw it with through the filter of our child eyes."
The essence of the franchise boils down to unadulterated fun while allowing viewers to lose themselves in new worlds and possibilities, and this is exactly what the directors seem to want to aim for. Of course, selling toys and merchandise was an integral part of the marketing plan for the franchise as a whole, but He-Man, as a character who inhabited a limitless world, emerged as a symbol for childlike imagination and wonder. Aaron Nee elaborated on this sentiment further:
"Those things [Masters of the Universe properties] weren't just huge successes because of clever marketing or something like that. It was tapping into something primal, something fundamental about us as kids. Whether the creators did it accidentally or out of brilliance doesn't matter. It was tapping into something. And that's what we are trying to hold onto is, what was that sparking inside of us, as kids? And so, we want that, at its core, that very basic human connection that we were feeling while not going, "Well, we're grownups now. So we can't really have a character named Ram-Man, we can't really have Fisto." Instead, it's like, "No, we're going to have that." How do you pull in like all of the kind of just wildness and craziness, but do it with love and affection?"
Basic human connection is definitely something more movies, especially ones entangled with childhood nostalgia, should embrace, and Adam Nee agreed with this sentiment by adding that the film will be approached "with heart" but shall retain "the irreverence and silliness and wild nature of the property."
Adam Nee went on to liken the tone of the upcoming film to "Thor: Ragnarok," which balanced lots of bonkers humor while paying homage to the legacy of the central characters. This seems to be the perfect balance when approaching a live-action adaptation of a beloved franchise, and only time will tell as to how the Nee's will fare against the power of Grayskull.
A release date for "Masters of the Universe" has not been revealed yet. "The Lost City" had its world premiere on March 12, 2022 at SXSW and will be released in theaters on March 25, 2022.