MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE Directors Vow To Avoid Making The Franchise LORD OF THE RINGS-Lite

A Masters of the Universe movie has been in development for several years now, but production is finally expected to begin this summer with the Nee brothers set to take the helm for Netflix from a screenplay they penned alongside Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings writer David Callaham. 

CBR (via SFFGazette.com) recently spoke to The Lost City directors about their plans for the live-action He-Man adaptation, and Aaron was quick to point out that one of the most important things to them is that "we are unapologetic that it is a wacky, wild property, that these characters are colorful and crazy and weird." It was then he made an interesting comparison to another fantasy franchise.

"We didn't want to try and tone that down or try to make it into Lord of the Rings and change everybody's names or something but instead embrace that that's one of the things that's singular about it and special about it," Aaron continued, adding that is was also "very important to us was tapping into why, as kids, those toys and those cartoons meant so much to us."

"One of the things that we're super fortunate about is that we are not the only ones who are Masters of the Universe super fans," the filmmaker noted. "So there are lots of very talented people who just have been waiting their whole life to jump in and be a part of making that movie."

West Side Story actor Kyle Allen is set to play the iconic hero. Noah Centineo was attached for a while, but ended up leaving the project when the last iteration fell apart. His other credits include American Horror Story and The Path; however, Masters of the Universe looks set to mark his big break in Hollywood and a star-making performance here could put him on the map in a big way.

Netflix investing in this franchise isn't a surprise, especially as the streaming service is already home to Kevin Smith's Masters of the Universe: Revelation and the CG-animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (which soon returns for its second season). A live-action movie could mark the beginning of a successful new franchise for the streamer, so it should be one to keep an eye on.