He-Man Movie Changes Titles, Screenwriters, Directions

So many things about the new He-Man movie aren't making any sense. At first it was intriguing because John Stevenson, who made Kung Fu Panda, was directing it, and might be able to bring some of that film's goofy energy to an adaptation of one of the campiest things about the 80s.

But now the movie's title has been changed to Grayskull, and unknown screenwriter Evan Daugherty has been picked to write a "gritty fantasy" version of the classic He-Man story. Um, what? THR's plot summary doesn't offer much more insight: "[It] reimagines Adam as a soldier who sets off to find his destiny, happening upon the magical world of Eternia. There, Skeletor has raised a technological army and is bent on eradicating magic."\

Hiring an untested screenwriter to rewrite Justin Marks' script isn't necessarily a terrible idea, but I can't figure out how they're going to square the history of He-Man and Stevenson's track record with a desire to make the whole thing gritty. If this turns out to be a disaster, I just hope poor Daugherty doesn't get the blame. This whole concept it sounding doomed from the get-go.

Katey Rich

Staff Writer at CinemaBlend