We just might get that He-Man movie after all

[Mach5]

For those who might care:
That He-Man movie you probably forgot about? It's back on track

Personally, I want to see this happen. MOTU is an important part of my early childhood. Before I was into Star Trek or Star Wars, I was crazy about this stuff.

 

[Admiral Shran]

Excellent!

MOTU was a major part of my childhood as well.

I've always felt that the He-Man universe was perfectly suited for a decent feature film, if it's taken seriously. All the elements are in place for some truly epic storytelling.

As long as they set it on Eternia (with no stupid and pointless trips to Earth) and keep it in the style of The Lord of the Rings, they could have a winner on their hands.

 

[davejames]

I kind of agree with the article writer that it shouldn't be some grim, serious LOTR thing. It needs to still be fun and fairly lighthearted.

Frankly all they really have to do is follow the example of the animated reboot from a few years ago. That managed to update everything and make it more kickass, but still keep the same kind of fun tone as before.

 

[Admiral_Young]

I'm a long time MOTU fan as well and was very pleased that the project isn't totally dead yet. For whatever reason though it seems to be a difficult property to develop. While the lauded Justin Marks script had elements that were true to the franchise, overall I didn't like the script and not a fan of that writer. I think "Thor" proved that audiences will be accepting of a combination of science and the fantastical which ultimately He-Man is a harmonious balance of in my opinion.

I also agree that this needs to be developed with more faith to the source material. There was no need to bring the movie to Earth, and that just serves to piss off a very loyal fanbase. As @davejames suggests the fantastic 200x reboot would be a good start for source material.

 

[Mach5]

As @davejames suggests the fantastic 200x reboot would be a good start for source material.

Yes, in terms of plot and all... But I just don't see characters like Mekaneck or Snout Spout working on the big screen, and I can already hear Marvel fans raging about Ram Man being a Juggernaut ripoff.

One of the things I loved about the 2002 Mike Young Productions MOTU was Adam and He-Man looking different (former being a 16 year old kid and latter looking like his 20-something hulky cousin). I hope they go for the two actors approach (though I somehow doubt they will).

 

[RoJoHen]

If we're looking for a style to compare this new movie to, I think we should look at "The Chronicles of Riddick." The world is bizarre and full of dark, mystical characters, but it still has the capacity to be a relatively light-hearted adventure.

I don't think LOTR is a terrible comparison either...just depends on how epic you want it to be. If successful, I could definitely see a trilogy of He-Man movies taking off, with the second and third possibly being based off "The Secret of the Sword," with the introduction of She-Ra and Hordak.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Perhaps a combination of "Thor" and "The Chronicles of Riddick" then. He-Man has a lot of rich mythology to it. I would agree that the more fantastical characters mentioned above would probably not work in a MOTU movie unless there was a drastic revision with them. I suspect that if we do get a movie down the road that we will get the basic Heroes and Villains. They'll do something like the first "Transformers" movie did and keep the rosters of both groups on the smallish side and use the most popular characters.

 

[RoJoHen]

Well, for the sake of a movie, you need to trim down the cast anyway so you don't have too much going on. You can easily get away with the basics.

Good Guys:
He-Man
Teela
Man-at-Arms
Orko (and even this isn't strictly necessary)
Battlecat
The Sorceress

Bad Guys:
Skeletor
Evillyn
Random Minions

One thing I would definitely not carry over from the series is that Queen Marlena is an Earth Astronaut. That NEVER made sense.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Bad Guys I would have : Skeletor, Evil-Lynn, Beast Man, Trap-Jaw, and perhaps someone like Cobra Khan. I would also foreshadow or hint about the Horde and Hordak as well. @RoJo's heroes are good ones, I would include Stratos and Ram Man.

 

[Corran Horn]

I thought the first movie was good. I remember being disappointed they weren't on Eternia longer (and the castle did not look anything like the toy/show) but I enjoyed it.

 

[Mach5]

One thing I would definitely not carry over from the series is that Queen Marlena is an Earth Astronaut. That NEVER made sense.

2002 version threw that out too.

BTW, I'd like to see a prologue showing King Grayskull defeating Hordak's forces in a massive battle (similar to LOTR opening). I think Justin Marks' script had something like it.

Also, Teela's arc from the 2002 series is just too awesome to ignore (the issue of her parentage and her legacy).

 

[RoJoHen]

I need to get caught up with the 2002 series. I only watched a few episodes in the beginning.

 

[Captaindemotion]

Although He-Man aired when I was a kid in the 1980s, I wasn't really a big fan. Having said that, I always thought it had the potential to be done really, really well in live-action and I think the absence of a decent movie (this does not include you, Dolph Lungren's effort) is inexplicable.

I wouldn't want to see them on Earth - too many horrific memories of the 1987 movie and Thor has done that idea very well of late - but a proper adaptation in the vein of Lord of The Rings, perhaps a tad more light-hearted or child-friendly (this was a kid's tv show based on a toy, not 18s material) would be something impressive.

 

[Captain Craig]

I'll be following this as well. See if something comes of it this time or if like 2yrs ago the project gets stalled and falls back into development hell. MOTU is in my top 5 of 80's properties of my childhood.

1. Transformers
2. Voltron
3. MOTU
4. Thundercats
5. G.I. Joe

 

[Mach5]

I need to get caught up with the 2002 series. I only watched a few episodes in the beginning.

Keep in mind, it was canceled after two seasons, and never got a proper conclusion. Doesn't end too abruptly either, but there are loose ends that never got tied up.

Still, I'd definitely recommend watching it. Great fun, IMO.

Voltron

IIRC, they gave that one to Justin Marks too, and his script sucked just as bad as his take on MOTU. Well, what could anyone expect from a guy who wrote "The Legend of Chun Li"

 

[RoJoHen]

I need to get caught up with the 2002 series. I only watched a few episodes in the beginning.

Keep in mind, it was canceled after two seasons, and never got a proper conclusion. Doesn't end too abruptly either, but there are loose ends that never got tied up.

Yeah, I knew that it didn't really have an ending, but I still heard really good things. Definitely need to get a hold of it.

 

[Admiral Shran]

The cast will have to be kept small. As long as these characters are included, I'd be happy....

Good Guys:
He-Man/Prince Adam
Man-at-Arms
Teela
Orko
The Sorceress

Villains:
Skeletor
Evil Lyn
Beastman

 

[JarodRussell]

But it NEEDS Gwildor!

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

Voltron

IIRC, they gave that one to Justin Marks too, and his script sucked just as bad as his take on MOTU. Well, what could anyone expect from a guy who wrote "The Legend of Chun Li"

Ewww... Anyone involved with The Legend of Chun-Li shouldn't even be allowed to WATCH movies anymore, let alone write them!

I didn't watch He-Man as a kid. It was a little before my time, though not by much. However, I have been catching snippets of it lately. I need something interesting yet sedate to have on in the background while I go to sleep, so I've been taking advantage of Qubo's Night Owl line-up-- He-Man, She-Ra, Bravestar, & Ghostbusters. Frankly, of those 4, He-Man strikes me as the least interesting. While I can see how a modern adaptation could work, I just find all of the characters a bit too corny. Oddly, I respond better to She-Ra. Part of it is that I just don't find He-Man to be that convincing or credible of a hero. Not only could She-Ra kick He-Man's ass, I think Edora could probably slap him silly too. (I'm also quite fond of Madam Razz for reasons I'm not entirely clear on.)