It seems that by the power of Greyskull, the Master of the Universe movie is back on! New developments have been publicized by Deadline, revealing that Laika ceo and President Travis Knight has pitched his take on the Mattel franchise. Travis is no stranger to the live-action toy world, having previously directed Bumblebee, the successful Transformers franchise entry starring Hailee Steinfeld (Hawkeye) and John Cena (Coyote vs. Acme).
Details continue to come together but sources told Deadline that Knight, who just last week gave Mattel an in-person presentation that impressed the company enough to give him an offer, is indeed the clear front runner to direct the Master of the Universe film. Chris Butler is set to rewrite the screenplay from a script draft written by David Callaham, and Aaron and Adam Nee. Amazon MGM Studios is currently in negotiations for the project with Mattel’s Robbie Brenner and Escape Artists’ Todd Black and Jason Blumenthal on board as producers.
Back in July 2023, The Wrap reported that “Mattel will be searching for a new producing/distribution partner for a big-budget adaptation of the 1980s action figure property, with at least $US30 million in development costs already spent since 2007 in prior attempts to make a new movie.”
We’ll bring you more on Mattel’s latest plans for a Masters of the Universe film as and when we learn them.
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