Sony has decided that the sprawling fantasy epic ‘Masters of the Universe’, which hasn’t begun filming, and doesn’t even appear to be close to doing so, will not be able to make its planned release in December of this year. So the studio has pushed it to next. In its original date, it would have hit theaters just five days after Sony’s other major holiday tentpole, ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle 2’ (or whatever it will be called), and a week before Disney’s ‘Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’. Once again, ‘Masters of the Universe’ doesn’t even appear to be close to filming, although it’s better off than it’s been in years.
Sony acquired the rights to this franchise, based on the 1980s toy line and cartoon series in 2009, but has struggled to get it rolling. About a year ago, twin brothers Aaron and Adam Nee signed on to direct, but in January, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway (‘Men in Black: International’) were brought on to re-write the script. Last month, rumors surfaced that Netflix star Noah Centineo was in talks to assume the lead role of He-Man/Prince Adam. I don’t recall his casting ever being confirmed but other outlets are reporting that he officially has the role.
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It was previously reported that Sony hoped that filming would commence in July, which makes a 2020 release date possible, and Sony has no films opening in June or August of next year. Depending on how much post-production (VFX) is needed, it’s possible that ‘Masters of the Universe’ could make the June date, but August sounds more likely, especially because August is usually much lighter on major tentpoles, being the end of summer with kids headed back to school.
Anytime in 2020 seems questionable, if you ask me. If Sony really wants this to be a mega-franchise, for starters, it shouldn’t be rushed. Beyond that, the studio needs to market it effectively to build anticipation. After all, most young people– i.e. those that know who Noah Centineo is– don’t know what ‘Masters of the Universe’ is. It’s not like ‘Transformers’ or ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ where the brand has been reinvented continuously over the years and remained in the public eye. Mattel attempted to relaunch ‘Masters of the Universe’ in 2002 and it failed. That was 17 years ago! They can’t just crank this out and expect people to show up based on nostalgia.
But check back for updates.
What do you think? How does ‘Masters of the Universe’ seem to be shaping up to you?
Source: Screen Rant
