New Shortlist Of Directors Emerges For Masters Of The Universe

For better or worse, turning your favorite childhood memories into big-budget blockbusters is all the rage in Hollywood these days and the next beloved property on the chopping block is Masters of the Universe. Sony is trying hard to put the mediocre 1987 film behind them and reboot the franchise but it has proven to be rather difficult.

Back in November, G.I. Joe director Jon M. Chu dropped out to go work on G.I. Joe 3 and the script immediately underwent another rewrite, this time from The Lone Ranger scribe Terry Rossio. The film still seems to be moving forward, however, as we just got word that five directors are on the shortlist to helm the project.

The shortlist is as follows:

• Harald Zwart, director of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
• Chris McKay, the editor of The LEGO Movie and a director on Robot Chicken
• Mike Cahill, the director of Another Earth
• Jeff Wadlow, director of Kick-Ass 2

Supposedly, “other directors are in the mix” too, but these were the only names mentioned today. Past lists included Joe Cornish (Attack the Block), Chris Miller and Phil Lord (The LEGO Movie) and Rian Johnson (Looper), which is a much more appealing group of names than what we currently have.

Of the directors mentioned today, Zwart is probably the riskiest choice since his filmography is the least impressive, critically and financially. McKay is a solid pick, after having a hand in The LEGO Movie and doing some work with the He-Man characters on Robot Chicken, but he’s never directed his own feature before. Cahill would probably deliver the most grounded approach of the names listed here, and has done some solid work on low-budget sci-fi indies. This would be his biggest project to date, but that isn’t a deal breaker and he might very well be up for the challenge. Wadlow, however, is the “safe” choice, having experience on a studio film like Kick-Ass 2. However, he’s currently busy over at 20th Century Fox working on the X-Force movie, so he may not have room on his plate for Masters. 

While this list can definitely change, it’s in the studio’s best interest to get Masters of the Universe made in a timely fashion. If successful, it could be a lucrative property similar to Michael Bay’s Transformers series, and the licensing potential alone should motivate Sony to get the ball rolling. How successful they’ll be at not only updating the project for modern audiences, but making a movie that both appeals to casual moviegoers and diehard fans of the animated show, remains to be seen. I’m just hoping that Hollywood doesn’t ruin another one of our childhood memories.

What do you think of this list of directors for Masters of the Universe? Are you happy with any of these picks, or would you rather see someone else behind the camera? Make sure to let us know in the comments below.