No IP has had as much trouble returning to movie status as Masters of the Universe. After a long time in development at Netflix, to the point where they even cast Noah Centineo as He-Man, they stopped pre-production on the film and let the rights lapse. This was after years of trying to get the fantasy heroes of Eternia out as a theatrical film. Now, Amazon and MGM have the rights and are preparing to start shooting Masters of the Universe with director Travis Knight this summer. They have even done it found his He-Man, in Red, white and royal blue star Nicholas Galitzine. But is a movie the right way for Amazon? We actually think Masters of the Universe should become a live-action episodic series on the platform. And here is why.
A live-action He-Man series could explore the entire mythology
The teachers The mythology of both the original toy line and all of its animated incarnations is pretty expansive, especially for a property that really only had a relatively brief reign in pop culture. The original toy line ran from 1982 to '87, while the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon show it only had two seasons. Which, to be fair, were re-run in syndication for years. The mythologies of the toys and the show varied greatly at times, and since the toy line lasted longer than the cartoon series, there are elements of the toys that the classic cartoons simply never got around to.
However, a live-action series could incorporate all aspects of the timeless myth. A film will barely have time to scratch the surface. Whether it turns out great or terrible, like the Masters of the Universe 80s movie starring Dolph Lundgren was, the truth is that a two-hour He-Man movie will focus only on the big hitters: He-Man, Teela, Skeletor, Evil-Lyn. That means many fan favorites from the cartoon and toy line would end up out. Or worse, just be Easter eggs in the background.
In one show, you have hours upon hours to explore in detail all the beautiful madness of this franchise. There were over 60 action figures the original toy line. If you reinvented this property as a live-action series, you might see some of the more absurd characters come to life. Like the half-man/half-bee Buzz-Off, or the Snake Men, or even Stinkor, the man whose superpower stank! Chances are none of these guys would appear in a movie, unless that movie was so successful that it spawned a franchise. But that's always a big yes.
A Masters of the Universe The series would have more pop culture staying power than a streaming movie
These days, a streaming series has more staying power in pop culture than a movie. We won't name names, but think about all the big-budget streaming movies that have arrived in the last few years. Many with big stars. It all evaporated almost instantly from the pop culture consciousness. Because streaming series run episodes over time (at least they should) they have time to build an audience. A Masters of the Universe The show on Prime Video could disappear from everyone's radar after a weekend. A series is more likely to build an audience.
Once, we would have said so teachers It was simply too elaborate a fantasy world for anyone to realize as a live-action series. However, times have changed. We now live in the era of great fantasy epics on streaming platforms like House of the Dragon i Rings of Power Both series spared no expense in creating vibrant fantasy worlds on screen. If they can do it because of these properties, nothing prevents them from doing the same Masters of the Universe.
A series also gives creators a chance to go a little darker. There really shouldn't be an R-rated He-Man of course, as this is a property originally designed for children. But a movie in theaters should step up the “fun for the whole family” aspect. If only to make it a four-quadrant blockbuster and be profitable for the studio. A series, on the other hand, has a little more leeway. It can push the horror design aspects of the villains a bit more than a movie could.
There is evidence that these characters could look super bad if done right. A few years ago, a concept artist named Paul A. Gerrard, who has worked on projects like Hellboy reboot, created amazing concept art for live action MOTORCYCLE. A lot of these pieces were for deep characters that might not appear in a movie. Who wouldn't watch a show to see some of these designs come to life? The series itself may be a stinker, but we'd still watch to see a great version of Moss Man.
Masters of the Universe continues to dominate our collective memory. Adult collectible toys have been marketed to adults for years, just like the Funko Pop! line Netflix and Kevin Smith made two animated sequels to the He-Man story, with Masters of the Universe: Revelation i revolution Both proved that long-form storytelling is the way to go with the property. Now all that's left is for them to do the right thing for the franchise and turn this movie into a backdoor pilot. Here's hoping the powers that be still “have the power” to know when to switch gears.
Originally published on January 29, 2020
