Travis Knight in Talks to Direct ‘Masters of the Universe’

The filmmaker, who is also the boss of Laika animation studios, is reportedly top choice to handle Mattel’s ‘He-Man’ movie, in development for years.

Oscar® nominee Travis Knight arrives at the Oscar Nominee Luncheon held at the Ray Dolby Ballroom, Monday, January 27, 2020. The 92nd Oscars will air on Sunday, February 9, 2020 live on ABC.

Preview:

Travis Knight is looking to make a deal to direct ‘Masters of the Universe’.
Mattel has been developing the idea for years.
Chris Butler is writing the latest draft of the script.

Having seen ‘Barbie’ become a pop cultural sensation, awards magnet and let’s not forget, massive money maker ($1.44 billion worldwide at the box office) Mattel is naturally eager to have its other properties make their way to screens.

But ‘Masters of the Universe’ has proved particularly troublesome, defeating more than one studio and a variety of filmmakers. The rights are headed to Amazon MGM Studios, and there is some forward movement to report as ‘Bumblebee’ director Travis Knight is now making a deal to direct the new live-action iteration of the story, which has been seeing success on the small screen via Kevin Smith’s animated Netflix series ‘Revelation’ and ‘Revolution’.

What is ‘Masters of the Universe?’

'He-Man and the Masters of the Universe' 1980's Cartoon.

If you didn’t grow up a 1980s kid, or haven’t seen the Netflix series, here’s a ‘Masters of the Universe’ primer… It’s the story of Prince Adam and his heroic friends, who must defend the faraway land of Eternia from the machinations of Skeletor and a group of fellow evildoers. At stake is Castle Grayskull and the Power Sword, which transforms Adam into He-Man, helping him fight off the various threats.

A cartoon series called ‘He-Man and the Masters of the Universe’ was launched in 1985 to help sell the action figures, creating a pop culture phenomenon. It was infamously turned into a movie in 1987 starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor. That flopped at the box office, which scuttled a planned sequel.

Masters of the Universe

"A battle fought in the stars...now comes to Earth."

PG1 hr 46 minAug 7th, 1987

Watch Masters of the Universe Online

The new live-action version has hd directors such as ‘Face/Off’s John Woo, ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Jon M. Chu and ‘Truth Or Dare’s Jeff Wadlow have been attached at one time or another, but the movie has always fallen apart.
Netflix was actually the most recent company to try, hiring directing siblings Adam and Aaron Nee, the duo behind 2015’s indie movie ‘Band of Robbers’ and 2022’s ‘The Lost City’, who were also attached to a Sony attempt, working on the script with ‘Man Of Steel’s David S. Goyer.

What’s the story for the new ‘Masters of the Universe’ movie?

(Left) Dolph Lundgren as He-Man in 1987's 'Masters of the Universe.' Photo: The Cannon Group.

If Knight does make a deal to direct, he’ll be working from a new draft of the script by Chris Butler –– to whom he’s already connected, as Butler has written or directed several animated movies produced by Knight’s Laika stop-motion animation studio.

According to Deadline, the new movie revolves around 9-year-old Prince Adam crashing to Earth in a spaceship and being separated from his Magical Sword –– the only link to his home on Eternia.

After tracking it down almost two decades later, Adam is whisked back across space to defend his home planet against the evil forces of Skeletor. But to defeat such a powerful villain, Prince Adam first will need to uncover the mysteries of his past and become He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe.

It’s not yet guaranteed that Knight will land in the job, but he had a good meeting with Mattel and has been offered the assignment.

Could he finally have the power to make ‘Masters’ work on screen? Only time will tell at this point…

Guest and Oscar® nominee, Travis Knight arrive on the red carpet of The 92nd Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 9, 2020.