McG Says He’s “Laser Focused” on MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE and Discusses Film’s Tone
Hollywood has been trying to get a new live-action feature film adaptation of Masters of the Universe off the ground for years. Unfortunately, the most recent director attached to it is Terminator: Salvation director McG, who I’m not a big fan of. The guy is a mediocre filmmaker that has no business making a movie based on He-Man. We haven’t heard much about the project since it was announced he’d be directing the movie, and I hoped that he would have dropped out of the project, but that’s not the case. In a recent interview with IGN the director says he’s currently prepping the film and that he’s “laser focused” on it.
“It’s a very exciting moment for Masters of the Universe. We have a big meeting with Sony regarding prep of the movie on Wednesday. And we’re in the middle of a bit of a script polish, and it’s my absolute passion. I’m laser-focused on that being my next film. But I mean, you know how it works in contemporary filmmaking. You really, really have to earn the good will of the parent studio, and Tom Rothman runs a tight ship at Sony, and we’re going to get there. I’m so happy to report that to the fans.”
Well, for the sake of fans, I hope the meeting goes terribly and that Tom Rothman wants to go with someone other than McG. When asked about the tone of the film, the director said they are basically looking to try and emulate what Marvel is doing with their films:
“I think we want to honor the fan base, first and foremost. We also need to be cognizant of the incredible resonance of what Kevin Feige is doing with Marvel, and the balance of full-bodied entertainment. That it’s both credible and emotional, action-packed, and the story of a hero’s journey. It’s the genesis of He-Man, it’s the becoming of He-Man. We want it to be clicking on all cylinders in that regard. We’re not going to stop until we get it right. Listen, I love that movie with Frank [Langella] and Dolph [Lundgren]. I watch it, and it’s a tremendous pleasure for me to watch. I’m raised on the toys, and I’m down at Mattel all the time. We’re just really focused on getting it right. I want it to be full-bodied entertainment that respects the fan base, and is more emotional than you might imagine, inventive and original. Obviously, we’re all cognizant of what’s going on with Game of Thrones. It’s incredible. We’re cognizant of what’s going on in Guardians of the Galaxy. James Gunn’s doing a great job. We’re going to try to answer the call and take it higher.”
That sounds encouraging, but he was saying the exact same things about honoring the fanbase when he made Terminator: Salvation, and we all know how that turned out. Who knows, maybe McG will surprise us, but I’m not going to hold my breath.
McG went on to say that they haven’t cast anyone in the film yet, but that he likes Kellan Lutz in the role of He-Man. The actor has been in talks for the role.
“We haven't cast the role yet, but I like Kellan very much. Obviously, we need a talented entertainer, but we also need a certain physicality, which he embodies. He'll be considered very, very closely. We haven't gotten to the casting process yet. Kellan's a good guy, and we had a great meeting, and he's passionate about He-Man, he's passionate about the Adam story. He really knows a lot about it. I was charmed by his focus and intensity. He'll be considered very, very carefully. We're just not there yet. We've got to get the movie on its feet, then we'll cast the movie.”
Lutz hasn't really impressed me in any film that he’s been in. He's really not that good of an actor, so the fact that McG is even considering him or thinks he is a “talented entertainer” is scary. The director goes on to say that the story is largely set in Ethernia, which is a step in the right direction.
At one point in the interview McG is asked if Prince Adam and He-Man will be two different people, and he wouldn’t say. I don’t know why. It’s not like it’s a big spoiler that Prince Adam is a scrawny little dude and He-Man is a massive hulking badass man. They’ll either cast two different actors to play each role or they will do the same kind of VFX used to make Chris Evans look scrawny in Captain America: The First Avenger. I just assume that’s the direction they’ll go.
As of right now, the production team are currently doing make-up tests for the characters. It’ll be interesting to see the character and costume designs they’ve come up with for the film, especially the villains because they are all so crazy looking.
I have no idea what to expect from this. All I know is that I obviously don’t have the confidence in McG to make the awesome He-Man film that fans deserve. What do you think? Am I being too hard on the guy?