Directors Adam and Aaron Nee’s live-action project, based on Mattel’s He-Man character, dropped by Netflix this past July after $30 million was spent in development, is rumored to be headed to Amazon MGM Studios, with lead Kyle Allen still attached.
Adam and Aaron Nee’s live-action Masters of the Universe film may have found its new home after being dropped by Netflix in July. The project was originally axed due to budget concerns after years of production roadblocks and $30 million sunk in development and actor fees. But, now Amazon MGM Studios is in talks to develop the film, according to Variety.
While a deal has yet to be confirmed, negotiations would most likely include a script polish and a budget cut from the originally estimated $200 million. So far, the Nees are still attached to direct alongside original He-Man lead Kyle Allen (A Haunting in Venice). This will be the fourth film for Masters, with previous outings attached to both Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures.
“It was very important to us that with Masters of the Universe we hold onto what that was for us as kids,” Aaron Nee told Variety in 2022. “It wasn’t silly to us or absurd to us, it had a depth and a meaning to it.” The brothers wanted to “hold onto something that has a core human empathy to it and yet isn’t afraid to have fun and get crazy... what we’re going to be able to do in this movie is gonna blow people away.”
Masters focuses on the age-old rivalry between He-Man and Skeletor, an integral plot point of the original 1980s animated series. An entire franchise, including sequels and a TV show, was reportedly in the works before the project was axed.
For those that need an immediate He-Man fix, Kevin Smith’s animated series Masters of the Universe: Revelation is streaming now on Netflix, with Masters of the Universe: Revolution set to hit Netflix January 25, 2024.
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