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Justin Mark's He-Man Movie Potentially a Masterpiece?!
by Alex Billington
June 3, 2008
This is one of those unbelievable reports, where it's just so baffling that it truly is hard to believe. Normally I don't take an interest in script reviews, not only because of spoilers, but because it's a whole other world in the development process that we needn't touch. However, Latino Review's El Mayimbe came onto the /FilmCast last night to talk about the Grayskull: The Masters of the Universe script and damn did he get me giddy with excitement. He spoke so highly of the script that I just had to check it out and report back to you on why it has the potential to be incredible. To put it plainly, El Mayimbe called it Lord of the Rings and Matrix combined, in all reality. And if you're a He-Man fan and that doesn't excite you, then maybe you need to read on to find out what else there is in this "fanboy masterpiece!"
The He-Man movie was first announced last May right around the time when the buzz for Transformers was beginning to pick up. Powerhouse producer Joel Silver is spearheading the project and assigned the up-and-coming screenwriter Justin Marks to write the script. It turns out Justin Marks is "the most gainfully employed professional fanboy on the planet" and that this is the best script has has written yet. Now the problem is that Warner Brothers isn't too happy with Silver because Speed Racer flopped which means this project is encountering some resistance at the studio. Hopefully El Mayimbe's glowing review will help this project see the light of day, because it sounds pretty damn awesome.
Unlike the previous He-Man movie, 1987's Masters of the Universe, this one takes place on Eternia and tells of the origin of He-Man, the origin of Skeletor, and the origin of the power sword. Apparently it's a very hard and edgy PG-13, nearing the R rating more than anything. El Mayimbe also promises that the script does not have "a single beat of comedic relief" and is much more realistic and serious. He says that whatever made the cartoon corny isn't in this script and that there is no campiness or cheesiness to it at all. Definitely great to hear, but I'm still wondering if this has the makings of something badass like 300.
El Mayimbe says that this is "the perfect marriage of Sorcery and Science fiction where in Eternia both Fantasy and Technology co-exist." He goes on to compare the story arc of the hero Adam to that of Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins, where he "has to overcome his selfish need for revenge and realize his destiny for the greater good of his people." There are also some pretty gnarly battles you can read about in the full review. Although I'm still not sold on the idea of seeing characters like Beast Man and Battlecat, this does really seem like it has the potential to not only be as big of a success as 300 but kick as much ass as 300. I hate to continue to use that film as a point of reference, but it definitely works in this scenario.
With a combination of "high tech, swords, and otherworldly creatures," this film has the potential to be pretty incredible. But alas, it's up to Warner Brothers to get it into production and it's up to whoever Joel Silver chooses as a director to maintain the integrity of the script. Since I haven't read it myself, we're relying entirely on El Mayimbe's word this time. He spoke so highly of it last night and his review is so enthusiastic that I can't help be excited for it as well. I'd really like to see this come together, as I think it could open another big door to the nostalgic 80's like Transformers did. If you're a true fan of He-Man, I encourage you to read the full script review on Latino Review. Does Grayskull: The Masters of the Universe have the makings of a mega blockbuster?
27 Comments
1
"Does Grayskull: The Masters of the Universe have the makings of a mega blockbuster?" Yes it does! I only needed to read the name of the movie...Masters of the Universe....count me in.
jman571 on Jun 3, 2008
2
LOTR & The Matrix. Hell yeah. I'm down. ...Couldn't be any worse than (Dare I say it?) Arragon.
jmoneysolo on Jun 3, 2008
3
YES, man i was old school he-man i had like all of them, id rather see sorcery driver sci-fi then real sci-fi if you get my drift, in this movie. Also they should just name it something without universe in the title
Richard on Jun 3, 2008
4
Ahhaha hahahaha LOL ROLF.....
Patricia S on Jun 3, 2008
5
after reading the script I prey they make it....
ghostbones on Jun 3, 2008
6
I HAVE THE POWER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
dac_fan on Jun 3, 2008
7
you get the right director and I'm in.
Fisherman on Jun 3, 2008
8
damn...that's a pretty good script. i can't wait!
Matt Suhu on Jun 3, 2008
9
Sounds awesome but it'll never be made. Due to fantasy films not doing as well as they use to (Golden compass, Narnia), and sliver pictures bomb that was the cartoon movie Speed Racer. I highly doupt that WB wants to deal with this kind of film.
Jesse on Jun 3, 2008
10
That script is BAD-FUCKIN-ASS. Count me in
Tirrell on Jun 3, 2008
11
Hmm, comparing it to LOTR, The Matrix and Batman Begins. I smell pants.
RP on Jun 4, 2008
12
Not one single humorous moment. A dark, deadly serious epic...about a loincloth-clad HE-MAN fighting a dude named SKELETOR. Yep, sounds fan-freakin-tastic.
Roxy on Jun 4, 2008
13
i'm convinced. lets get it crackin...
theTruth on Jun 4, 2008
14
Speed Racer flopped because they turned up the juice on visuals and went with a mediocre story thinking that visuals alone would be enough to win people. That and not too many people know who Speed Racer is other than, "Oh yeah, that's the kid from that GEICO commercial, isn't it?" with Transformers already in production of a sequel and G.I. Joe coming out in the near future. WB is sitting on a gem and if they're smart, they'll overlook Speed Racer and throw He-Man into production. It just all depends on what director they get.
Denver on Jun 4, 2008
15
I don't know where you got that picture from, but, it doesn't look like the He-Man I know. Anyway, they ruined the first movie in 1987, I hope they don't ruin this one ( or G.I. Joe ), because then they'll be ruining the memories from my childhood.( At least my Transformers memories weren't tarnished )
Brett on Jun 4, 2008
16
I can't wait to see who they cast as Teela. The 1987 movie failed because they brought He-Man to Earth in some dimensional portal thing. It was probably easier on the budget. I liked the script synopsis, I didn't really know the origin of any of the MOTU stuff. My only gripe is, not enough good guys/bad guys, but that's what trilogies are for. With six swords to look for, that must be where the LOTR element comes in. How about a Voltron movie?
The Brain on Jun 4, 2008
17
I think it could be a unique epic considering the mix of fantasy and science fiction.
Chris on Jun 4, 2008
19
Who boy. Yeek. Are you guys serious? LOTR is an amazing series of films, not b/c it was written out of the blue for the screen and adapted from a script. It's a fully fleshed out story by an author whose previous career was as a Linguist - meaning he could conjure entire believable cultures, basing Elvish off a combination of Celtic, Druidic, and Rune languages - both spoken & written. As a result, a project like the LOTR films benefits from cross-generational reverence of its timeless tale, flush w/ sweeping metaphors of the "Battles" that raged in the early 20th Century (The Great War & WWII), and hearkening to a simpler time, of Dark vs. Light & its accompanying mythologies. The Matrix succeeded by weaving every single Sci Fi staple from cinema history into one, paranoia inducing metaphor for the Digital Age. And Batman Begins, well. Fuse Batman Year One w/ Son of the Demon & you get pretty close. He Man was created by Mattel Inc. as an attempt to break into the Action Figure market, by having Barbie's designers do their take on Conan. I challenge anyone to prove me wrong. I read the script- and bit my lip or fingernail w/ every passing word. You're right, it's LOTR meets MATRIX meets B.Bgins. But every single line makes that blatantly obvious - and not in a good way, to mine eyes. Transformers had a backstory, w/ the Cube, Cybertron, etc. that's laughably overlookable by the Fx. He Man- I'm sorry- will never be seen by anyone else as the Barbie company's metaphor for what boys go through entering puberty! (I held aloft my sword...) WHO-BOY!
Amadeus Bibb on Jun 4, 2008
20
I want to see this made I was never a fan of MOTU but this is movies sounds amazing. Now all they need is the right Director.
Andee23 on Jun 4, 2008
21
Amadeus whatever man, there was so much story that was written about He-man you obviously didnt grow up with them or have any when you were a kid or you would have had a stack of books, comics, records, etc about it. Whatever man. This CAN KICK ASS.
Richard on Jun 4, 2008
22
ANYONE TO CHOOSE TRAVIS FIMMEL FOR HE-MAN? Do you guys think that Australian Travis Fimmel will fit well to play He-Man? all girls like him but he would make a good He-Man for the film. I pick Travis Fimmel for the He-Man role. Thank You. BRUCE ACOSTA AUSTRALIA.
Bruce Darren Acosta on Jul 15, 2008
23
Amadeus Bibb made some very good points. This scripts smells KNOCK OFF. Very appropriate for a toy brand however. lol. Come on guys... He-Man? The name alone sounds cheesy. I hated the toys to be honest, though. They all had the same bodies. Just different heads and accessories. lol. I was too smart for those toys. I preferred more ingenuity and was a fan of Transformers. I didnt like the TF film though. Such a piece of crap from Bay. As usual. And I dont like Justin Marks either. He wants to make a Voltron film except it wont look or be anything like Voltron. They really need to stop this nonsense. Leave 80s toys ALONE and come up with better ORIGINAL movie ideas. I mean the world is full of ideas. Can we not find one and make a film out of it instead of pulling toys to film? sheesh Thismoviewillbomb the end.
Hooaigawd on Nov 10, 2008
24
ANY BODY HERE HAVE THE JUSTIN MARKS HE-MAN SCRIPT? If so I will be willing to trade you for his VOLTRON SCRIPT !!!!!!!! Please e-mail me at trixspeed@yahoo.com if you want to ....TRADE HE-MAN FOR VOLTRON TO READ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
TRIXSPEED on Feb 23, 2009
25
Just like every other live action rendition of an animation this has the possibility to be horrible. Especially if you are a fan of the series and have high expectations. However there is a lot of potential that this could be the beginnings of an epic trilogy. Yes MOTU started off as a way to market Conan toys, but the people who created the actual stories were not part of the Mattel company they were from Funimation. And that is where the mythology comes from, not from Mattel, and if this is to be successful Mattel better keep their marketing department far away from the movie till its time to make figures from the movie. Ya Hear That Mattel!!! Know Your Role In Life!!! Aside from that, it sounds like Justin Marks actually took into consideration what is acceptable and what is not when it comes to creating something under the name MOTU. Hopefully the Director (John Stevenson as of now) will have the same vision and respect of the franchise. Casting can always effect a movie but a lot of times people over look that as a separate annoyance apart from the movie itself. So as long as all those things along with the planets are aligned. We will not see another '87 ... or Orko ...
AggravatedArtist on May 9, 2009
26
I didn't care for the lotr, the lighting was horrible, if you've ever seen the lou scheimer version, the color pops a lot of the time , the sky is almost always purple , and the plants are out of this world huge, if they can't at least get the landscape right, I won't be interested, and he-man started in four mini comics that came with the first wave of action figures,He-Man and the Power Sword (1981)King of Castle Grayskull (1981)Battle in the Clouds (1981)The Vengeance of Skeletor (1981) those four comics are the be-all basis for everything that is he-man, and those wouldn't be a bad way to go for a movie, although there is no prince adam in those comics, which I may or may not mind, in the original story, he-man comes from a tribe of barbarians and saves a woman from a beast, the woman turns out to be the goddess, or sorceress, and she leads him to a cave of magical battlements,or magical armour, as it were, the armour gives him super-strength, complimenting his huge muscles that he already has, not like the space-ace transformation of adam to he-man, created for the cartoon. And if you read thos e mini comics or owned the original greyskull playset , you would know you need both halves of the power sword even to enter castle greyskull.
Madd13dogg on Aug 16, 2011
27
http://old.he-man.org/primary_sects/comics/html/mini_comics/motu/index.shtml
Madd13dogg on Aug 16, 2011
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