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Tom Hanks to be 'Major Matt Mason'

Dusty Ayres

Commodore
From last year:

Universal will develop "Major Matt Mason," a live-action feature based on the vintage Mattel action figure. Pic will be developed as a star vehicle for Tom Hanks, and Graham Yost will write the script.

Playtone partners Hanks and Gary Goetzman will produce.

The toy line originated in 1966; Mason led an astronaut team that worked on the moon and lived in a space station. The toy was a hit in the buildup to the first manned moon mission. Mattel retired the line in the 1970s.

When Mattel execs Tim Kilpin and Barry Waldo came to Playtone for a meeting, they brought an arsenal of the Matt Mason figures. Hanks came armed with his own.

Waldo will serve as exec producer with Kilpin.

Tom Hanks circles 'Major' toy story
 
This has always been a dream project for me; if they do it with a good smart angle and enough creative brilliance, it will surprise hell out of folks.

Otherwise, I imagine it will be another CLUE.

Good or bad, I'm sure I'm going to LOVE the art direction, which should offset the memories of a single viewing of AbramsTrek.
 
Have high hopes for this. I trust Hanks not to be in a movie that will outright suck. I also hope there will be some sort of revival of the toys. Had a crap load of those things when i was a kid and wish I had had the sense to keep ahold of them.
 
I made an incredible steal at a flea market in 1987; somebody was selling off the big box, with the moon station, the lunar crawler, and the guys with the space sleds, all for a BUCK! And none of the arms had broken either.

Unfortunately I had an alcoholic roommate in the 90s who spraypainted all of the MMM stuff grey! Knew that guy since the sixth grade, but still almost kicked the motherfucker's head in.
 
I made an incredible steal at a flea market in 1987; somebody was selling off the big box, with the moon station, the lunar crawler, and the guys with the space sleds, all for a BUCK! And none of the arms had broken either.

Unfortunately I had an alcoholic roommate in the 90s who spraypainted all of the MMM stuff grey! Knew that guy since the sixth grade, but still almost kicked the motherfucker's head in.

If you'd like to give me his location, I'll be happy to do it for you.
 
I made an incredible steal at a flea market in 1987; somebody was selling off the big box, with the moon station, the lunar crawler, and the guys with the space sleds, all for a BUCK! And none of the arms had broken either.

Unfortunately I had an alcoholic roommate in the 90s who spraypainted all of the MMM stuff grey! Knew that guy since the sixth grade, but still almost kicked the motherfucker's head in.


If you'd like to give me his location, I'll be happy to do it for you.

Actually, last I heard, he may be in the middle east, so somebody else might already have done it.
 
I wonder if this movie will be serious, or a comedy? And will it lead to the revival of the toys?

I've GOT to figure Hanks is going to take it very seriously ... this WAS the way of the future for a certain generation or so of people, and putting that across in an honest fashion, with a good SF twist, would keep it from being SKY CAPTAIN.

With Hanks, I think the big fear is whether the apparent earnestness could do the movie in , a la Joe Johnston's ROCKETEER.

I think Graham Yost is one of the writers, and I'm pretty sure he created BOOMTOWN, which in its first season was pretty terrific and damned inventive.

I'm hoping for MMM as being HOW THE SOLAR SYSTEM WOULD HAVE BEEN WON (had we kept to all the Promethean ideals of the early NASA era.)

Geez, that's practically a Strangelovian title right there ...
 
I had a Major Matt Mason toy or two, but so far this is just a big meh. Major Matt Mason is not a story, it's a toy, and I'm too old for movies about toys.

I like the idea of a relatively realistic near future space story, but that doesn't require a toy tie-in. How many people under 40 even remember MMM?
 
You know, I generally like Hanks. I've never seen him star in a bad movie. Sure some were "okay", but never bad. And of course some were good, so when I hear he'll be involved with this, is sparks a tiny bit of interest in me.
 
I'm hoping for MMM as being HOW THE SOLAR SYSTEM WOULD HAVE BEEN WON (had we kept to all the Promethean ideals of the early NASA era.)

Geez, that's practically a Strangelovian title right there ...

That would make a great subtitle: Major Matt Mason: How The Solar System Was Won!:techman:;)
 
I wonder if this movie will be serious, or a comedy? And will it lead to the revival of the toys?



I'm hoping that it's serious, realistic sci-fi film that examines the near-future of space travel with good characterization.

Hopefully with Hanks on board, it will turn out fairly decently.
 
You know, I generally like Hanks. I've never seen him star in a bad movie. Sure some were "okay", but never bad. And of course some were good, so when I hear he'll be involved with this, is sparks a tiny bit of interest in me.

Even in the bad movies, Hanks is good. IMO. A plus for this particular project is Hanks' own personal interest in the space program and space-related subjects. I suspect that will really show in this film.
 
You know, I generally like Hanks. I've never seen him star in a bad movie. Sure some were "okay", but never bad. And of course some were good, so when I hear he'll be involved with this, is sparks a tiny bit of interest in me.

Even in the bad movies, Hanks is good. IMO. A plus for this particular project is Hanks' own personal interest in the space program and space-related subjects. I suspect that will really show in this film.

Hanks is one of the few people in hollywood who I could see being a member of this board and never letting on. :lol: He'd fit in perfectly around the TBBS.


That said, there has been some talk and rumble of rumors that Hanks was looking for a serious science fiction title to star/produce. Perhaps this will become that project for him.
 
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