Next year, after years of failed attempts, we will finally get the first live-action Masters of the Universe since 1987. Considering it’s a movie based on a line of action figures, one might not be expecting much. Of course, that was the case with Barbie, and that movie became a massive hit.
While the two IPs have a similar basis, Mattel Studios president and chief creative officer Robbie Brenner tells The Wrap that the upcoming Masters of the Universe movie is very much the opposite of Barbie. At least when it comes to its primary demographic. Brenner says…
And there’s ‘Masters of the Universe,’ which is the complete antithesis of what ‘Barbie’ is. ‘Barbie’ was all about femininity and embracing feminism and the issues around all of that, and ‘Masters’ is fun and it’s a huge spectacle and it’s something totally different. It deals with masculinity in a very fun, funny way.
While I would argue that, through Ryan Gosling’s Ken, Barbie had plenty to say about masculinity, femininity was certainly what the movie was focused on. It sounds like Masters of the Universe won’t simply be a movie designed to appeal more to a male demographic, but one that will deal directly with issues of masculinity. While this makes it the antithesis of Barbie, might also make it the perfect companion film.
Interestingly, Brenner calls the new Masters of the Universe movie both “fun” and “funny” which seems to echo the recent comments of Alison Brie, who will play Evil-Lyn in the new film. She responded to reports that the movie was taking a more serious approach to the material by suggesting those rumors were off the mark, and Mattel’s CCO would seem to confirm that.
Brenner praises director Travis Knight as the “visionary” behind the Masters of the Universe movie. After successfully launching the stop-motion animation house Laika, Knight would go on to direct Bumblebee, the best reviewed entry in the live-action Transformers franchise, which brought a previously unseen heart to the series. Mattel’s CCO seems to feel he has done the same with He-Man, saying…
[Director] Travis [Knight] is just a visionary. He’s an incredible filmmaker. I think that people are going to be so delighted with this new rendition. I think people are kind of over swords and capes, and we need to find something different. This movie is heartfelt, it’s fun, the action is amazing. It’s inspirational, it’s aspirational. It’s a coming-of-age story with an amazing, colorful, insane backdrop.
Beyond a few teasing images that don’t show much, we haven’t seen anything about the Masters of the Universe movie, which will star Nicholas Galitzine as the iconic He-Man. Despite its apparent differences, Mattel is certainly hoping that Masters of the Universe will be like Barbie in at least one major way, its box office success.
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