Netflix's Live-Action MASTERS OF UNIVERSE Movie is Dead

The live-action adaptation of Masters of the Universe just can’t get a break! Filmmakers and studios have been trying to get this movie made for years, and well… it always seems to fall apart. This latest attempt was set up at Netflix with The Nee Brothers (The Lost City, Band of Robbers) set to direct, and Kyle Allen set to star in the role of He-Man.

According to Variety, the streaming service has already spent $30 million on development costs and the cash that’s been shelled out to hold on to talent. “Other knowledgable sources estimate all-in costs for development at twice that figure.”

A spokesperson for Mattel confirmed that “Masters of the Universe is no longer at Netflix,” but they did not provide any further comment. A Netflix spokesperson also had no comment. The report said that one of the reasons behind the movie being scrapped is that “the streamer refused to shell out more than $150 million to see up-and-comer Allen (American Horror Story, A Haunting in Venice) pick up He-Man’s sword.”

The whole decision came down to the budget and the directors and producers tried to get the budget lower and even considered the idea to shoot two films simultaneously. But, Netflix and the filmmakers just couldn’t come to a compromise. The fact that Netflixed bailed on the project is a big tell of what the streaming industry is like. They used to throw money at big franchise film projects, they also used to take risks, but now they are playing it safe with a franchise that has a built-in audience and fanbase.

The Nee brothers, who came in riding high as directors of Sandra Bullock’s rom-com hit “The Lost City,” worked with producers including Todd Black and Mattel’s Robbie Brenner to get the budget down — even as significant pre-production around the film still took place. Producers brought back a proposed $180 million budget to the table and Netflix still balked, never handing the movie an official green light. One source with knowledge of the budget talks said the final figure included costs spent on development. Netflix and filmmakers even considered shooting “Masters of the Universe” and a proposed sequel simultaneously to amortize the expense, they added. Multiple parties said streamer is enamored with the filmmaker siblings, but could not reach a middle ground.

The story would have centered on "an orphan named Adam who discovers he is a prince destined to be the savior of a faraway land. He must quickly learn of his power and the importance of saving his true home from an evil force."

Director Aaron Nee previously shared that they wanted to keep things wild and crazy like the original animated series, and likened the film they are making to Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok. He said:

"It's a wild, crazy property, and we wanted to keep it wild and crazy. Like, you had just wacky characters, but what we also wanted to keep is that, what it was to experience those toys and those cartoons as kids. Whereas kids, we took it completely seriously, and trying to tap into, what was it that it was making us feel then? That empowerment that made us feel, and that sort of wide-eyed wonder of the incredible things that can happen, and the incredible worlds that you can encounter. And so we want that wildness, but also the sort of reverence and love of it, that we saw it with through the filter of our child eyes.

"Those things [Masters of the Universe properties] weren't just huge successes because of clever marketing or something like that. It was tapping into something primal, something fundamental about us as kids. Whether the creators did it accidentally or out of brilliance doesn't matter. It was tapping into something. And that's what we are trying to hold onto is, what was that sparking inside of us, as kids? And so, we want that, at its core, that very basic human connection that we were feeling while not going, ‘Well, we're grownups now. So we can't really have a character named Ram-Man, we can't really have Fisto.’ Instead, it's like, ‘No, we're going to have that.’ How do you pull in like all of the kind of just wildness and craziness, but do it with love and affection?"

Director Adam Nee went on to compare the tone of the film to Thor: Ragnarok, which was completely bonkers, but in a good way.

Producer Todd Black (Fences, The Equalizer) has been trying to find a new buyer for Masters of the Universe, and he even brought it to Universal Pictures, which passed on the project. If Barbie does well at the box office this coming weekend, maybe there will be a better chance to find a studio= to partner with them.

Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz has also been hyping up the property’s value saying: “It’s as big as Marvel and DC. It’s hundreds of pages of characters and sorcerers and vehicles and weaponry — you name it. And then you flip through the pages, and here’s a movie, and here’s a movie, and here’s a TV show. . . . it’s endless!”

It really is! The fact that no one has been able to get a Masters of the Universe movie off the ground after all these years is crazy to me! There’s a huge awesome universe to play with and build on! I know what I would do with the property, but I don’t know if the current team has the awesome vision of what it the franchise could be. We may never know if they can’t find a new studio to partner up with!

Even if they did manage to partner with a new studio, with the actor’s and writer’s strike, it’s not like they will be able to move on it anytime soon.

While I would love to see a great He-Man movie made, I’d much rather see it done for the big screen instead of a streaming service like Netflix, so maybe this is a blessing in disguise.