MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: Mattel Films and Netflix Partner on Live-Action Motion Picture

Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT) and Netflix announced today they are developing Masters of the Universe, Mattel’s iconic franchise from the 1980s, into a live-action motion picture, expected to begin production in summer 2022. The Nee Brothers (The Lost City, Band of Robbers) co-direct from a screenplay written by the Nees and David Callaham (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Wonder Woman 1984). Rising talent Kyle Allen (West Side Story) will star as Prince Adam/He-Man. 

 

In Masters of the Universe, an orphan named Adam discovers he is a prince destined to be the savior of a faraway land and must quickly learn of his power and the importance of saving his true home from an evil force.

 

“Masters of the Universe is an iconic property that shaped the imaginations of an entire generation of kids with the message of becoming the best version of yourself. With our partners at Netflix, we look forward to showing audiences that anything can happen in Eternia. We are continuing to unlock this global franchise in new ways, and we can’t wait to see Kyle battle it out with Skeletor in this epic live-action saga,” said Robbie Brenner, executive producer of Mattel Films.

 

“We’ve always been inspired by the fantastical world of Eternia,” said producers Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch. “This movie has been 14 years in the making for us and our partners and we are so excited to tell an entirely new story for Masters of the Universe with the Nee Brothers and Dave Callaham for Mattel and Netflix and share it with a global audience.”

 

Brenner and Kevin McKeon (VP of Mattel Films) will lead the project for Mattel Films. Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch (Being the Ricardos, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Fences, The Equalizer, The Upside) and DeVon Franklin will produce. The project was formerly in development at Sony.

 

Last summer, Mattel and Netflix partnered to bring Eternia back to screens in two series. Masters of the Universe: Revelation is a continuation of the classic storyline from the 1980s. Kevin Smith served as the showrunner for the series, which features an all-star voice cast including Mark Hamill, Lena Headey, Chris Wood and Sarah Michelle Gellar. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is a dazzling CG-animated series, which reimagines the thrilling heroic adventures of the Guardians of Grayskull for a new generation of fans.

 

Mattel’s Masters of the Universe was first introduced to the world in 1982 through a line of action figures. In 1983, the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe™ premiered and became one of the first children’s program to be syndicated on television.