‘Kung Fu Panda’ co-director to tackle He-Man

News | Film News | by Mark Pollard

John Stevenson, co-director of the 2008 animated hit KUNG FU PANDA has been picked by Warner Bros. and producer Joel Silver (MATRIX TRILOGY) to helm a live-action He-Man movie, based on the popular Mattel toy line.

MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE will revolve around He-Man, a prince who transforms into a warrior and becomes the last hope for a magical land being ravaged by the evil Skeletor.

A first draft of the script was penned by STREET FIGHTER: THE LEGEND OF CHUN LI writer Justin Marks, based off a story he developed with Neil Ellice.

According to Variety, executive producer Barry Waldo said that Stevenson’s vision to elevate the material matched with Matte’s desire to see He-Man become a big studio film.

“John had such passion that we found ourselves running to catch up with his vision,” said Waldo.

Personally, I feel that Stevenson is ideally suited to this project. He has had a long career as a storyboard artist going as far back as Jim Henson’s MUPPET SHOW and managed to govern along with KUNG FU PANDA co-director Mark Osborne the creation of some of the best animated or live-action fighting seen in theaters in 2008. More importantly, KUNG FU PANDA displayed a level of depth and sophistication rarely seen in family or genre entertainment today.

A He-Man movie will be tough to pull off as live-action entertainment. The original action figures and the 1980s TV series were pretty goofy. A decision will have to made whether or not to work with the franchise’s original look or revamp for a more mature audience. Forcing children’s entertainment to look grown up seems to be the new mantra with Hollywood. Hopefully, Stevenson won’t follow the direction that the G.I. JOE or STREET FIGHTER movies are going in regards to their dull production design. I’d rather see a little bit of the HELLBOY look mixed with 300-style body sculpting and action, minus the heavy bloodshed. This is children’s entertainment after all, or it should be. I’m betting that Stevenson will deliver.

Source: Variety

Tags: upcoming

John Hooks

The movie should definitely have a darker, more grown up style and follow the formula of LOTR but still find a way to capture the essence of the Filmation cartoon. I was a huge fan as a kid and I'm not gonna lie my excitement about this flick comes from the deep rooted desire to relive my childhood! But the film will also have to capture younger fans to be a huge hit...so it's difficult. If they can find a way to incorporate core elements that worked for movies like LOTR, Potter & 300 add the sci-fi component to complete the look, then stick to the story without changing crucial, they should have something awesome. The movie needs to be cast right, even if it means having a mostly unknown cast. I liked the '87 version back then. If they were going to start from there, I'd only say they need to give us more back-story on Grayskull/powers of, acknowledge the transformation from Adam to He-man, use known characters only, and for God's sake...keep the the action on Eternia! (or at least anywhere but the suburbs of New Jersey) Orko? sure why not now that the technology exists to actually include him. And last but not least...yes...the subtle homo-eroticism should continue cuz it's good for a laugh.

-John Hooks

Mark Pollard

John, I agree with you that they need to keep a younger audience in mind. It actually concerns me when filmmakers decide to transform a children's property into adult material before it has naturally made the evolution. It took years for us to get from the BATMAN TV series to THE DARK KNIGHT. I still see HE-MAN as being more or less in the territory of BEASTMASTER and I don't think the filmmakers should try too hard to take it much further. Then again, I consider the SPEED RACER reboot to be a hideous monstrosity not fit for any age group. They just need to make the movie entertaining and faithful enough to sate the demands of fans. My fear is that they will do as you also fear and try to strip away what makes the franchise recognizable. G.I. JOE and STREET FIGHTER: THE LEGEND OF CHUN-LI are two films out this year that have an identity crisis regarding their franchise roots, where authenticity is replaced by "realism." I believe that filmmakers should be looking to J.J. Abrams' STAR TREK reboot as the right way to freshen up an old franchise.

Bruce Darren Acosta

I hope this new He-Man film will be better than the Dolph Lundgren version it needs to follow the justice and if the script is done perfect the movie will do well at the box office and John Stevenson would do a good job working on the project,Mattel,Warner Bros and Silver Pictures should give Australian actor Travis Fimmel to play the part as He-Man,it would be cool ass.
Thank You.
BRUCE ACOSTA
AUSTRALIA.

BruisedLo

Get real, Dolph Lundgren didn't do He-man justice. I always wanted Arnold Schwarzenegger to play him... lol or someone else, not Ivan Drago.

The first He-man live action film sucked, and knowing that Justin Marks, who wrote the SF: TLOCL, is writing this new He-man flick... my hopes are not too high.

carl

Lets hope John Stevenson, Justin Marks and Neil Ellice stay true to the original story about Prince Adam who gets magical powers when he holds aloft his magic sword and says "BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL" and has to protect the secrects of Castle Grayskull and is nothing like the cheaply made 80's live action attempt were theres no Battle Cat, no Orko, no Masters apart from Man at Arms and Teela and no baddies we know and love apart from Skeletor, Evil Lyn and Beast Man.