For a long time it looked like it was going to be G.I. Joe: Retaliation director Jon M. Chu holding the reins of the Masters of the Universe movie, but with the filmmaker no longer attached to the project Sony Pictures and Escape Artists are exploring a few other options. According to The Wrap, the studios are getting very excited about finally getting the new film off the ground and have been meeting with a number of different directors - including Mike Cahill, Chris McKay, and Harald Zwart, who are now being called the frontrunners.
What's interesting about the group is that they all come from very different angles of the industry. Cahill, who has worn many different hats in the film industry, is best known for his work in indie movies and directing the 2011 sci-fi drama Another Earth:
McKay, meanwhile, would actually be making the leap from animation to live-action with the project. On the big screen he paired with directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller as the animation co-director and animation supervisor on The LEGO Movie, but also won a Primetime Emmy for his work on Adult Swim's Robot Chicken.
As The Wrap notes, of the three frontrunners Zwart's experience is probably the best suited for the Masters of the Universe gig. In addition to having served as a director for a lot longer and on many more projects than his two competitors, Zwart is also the most familiar with bringing established properties back to the big screen. His credits include The Pink Panther 2, The Karate Kid remake, and, most recently, Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.
Also reportedly in the mix, according to Variety is Jeff Wadlow, the filmmaker behind Kick-Ass 2 and the upcoming X-Force movie.
It's unclear exactly what the timetable for the new Masters of the Universe is. No deals have been signed yet, no release date is in place, and it doesn't look like they have figured out exactly when they are planning to start production. Presumably once a director comes aboard they can start answering all of those questions. So is it possible that we could see Masters of the Universe in 2015?
