Tom Hanks to bring Major Matt Mason to the big screen

For those of you who remember the Major Matt Mason toy line from Mattel, rumor has it that Tom Hanks is set to bring the concept to the big screen and star as Mason:


http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118001618.html?categoryid=13&cs=1


For those unfamiliar with this vintage toy series, it was basically G.I. Joe for nerds. I remember it fondly, and if done correctly, could be a decent film.

 

GI JOE for nerds? You mean TRANSFORMERS?

Oh, you meant 60's GI JOE...

 

Okay Mean Joe, I guess I'm dating myself here a bit, but yup... We're talkin' 60s vintage, all right.



For a guy like me who was avidly into space-travel, MMM was an ideal collectible set. Though cheaply constructed by modern standards (the damn wire frames inside the body didn't hold up well to all the bending), the line was imaginative and did fairly well for Mattel during the Apollo years.

Like I said above, if done right, this movie could be quite interesting. Hanks has an interest in space, so I'm hoping that he and the creative team that ends up working on this make a serious story about man's return to the moon, somewhere maybe in the next 40 years or so.

 

I loved the Major Matt Mason toys. I had a bunch of them-- though nowhere near as many as I wanted.

This could be good if done right. With Tom Hanks involved, it stands a chance.

 

The problem is, Major Matt Mason isn't a story. Or a concept. Or even a character. It's a toy from forty years ago that a lot of the moviegoing public doesn't remember at all.

 

Why are they making all these movies based on...toy lines? Isn't there better material to adapt than this? Isn't there better original material waiting to be made than this?

 

Maybe it's based on the Big Little Book?

I used to have a copy of that somewhere . . . .

 

Oh, yeah, I remember that. Weren't there big moon worms of some sort involved in the story?

 

One of the most successful franchises ever was based on a theme party ride, Hollywood is about cash.

 

Studio executives are all about profit motive, sure, but I'm still dumb struck as to why Tom Hanks of all people would be so excited about the concept. Then again, he had no qualms about filming two Dan Brown books, so perhaps it is all about the money. And, reading further, it is a spaced based toy line, and Hanks is well known for his enthusiasm for space exploration. Still, couldn't that enthusiasm have pushed his film version of 3001 or something similar over this?

 

That there were.

 

Wow, I've never even heard of this before.

For the uninitiated:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R99hAG0tgkg

I wonder if they'll keep Captain Laser?

 

When the rights holders met with Hanks' Playtone production company to pitch this they soon realized they did not have to do much selling. To their surprise Tom brought his own Major Matt Mason toys from when he was a kid!

So clearly he was a fan of the toys. Plus a supporter of the real space program. Could be a fun movie. Probably of a higher quality than other action figure movies. The fact that it has no backstory or mythology attached means they don't have to play lip service to a fanbase.

 

I had that Big Little Book too!! I remember the worms tunneled through the moon, and they exploded when they reached the surface because of the low atmosphere.

God, I can't believe there's at least 4 of us that remember that book!

I wonder if Tom Hanks will scape his fingernail over his space suit and turn it black? That would be really cool.

As I'm looking through those Youtube commercials, did anyone else have Billy Blastoff?

 

The main thing I remember about that book is that there was one illustration that was a cutaway of a lunar habitat. I spent hours staring at that picture and imagining living there.

 

True enough, but then again, how many movies get made that are based on original screenplays that are not based on any best-selling books, that the public has never heard of? I mean, Star Wars was just an idea in George Lucas's head, a concept if you will, and it became THE movie event of 1977.

I'm not saying that MMM will achieve that kind of status, but a story has to start somewhere and if they could turn Transformers into a two-film franchise, then this idea is just as sound as any others out there. As no real story exists, then one will have to be created, and hopefully it will be a decent, near-future, realistic sci-fi film.

 

Oh, and BTW guys, I too, remember the Big-Little book, in fact had it eons ago.

 

I'd be shocked after this announcement if someone hasn't already looked into the rights.

 

Next: Lincoln Logs THE MOVIE!!!!!