"GRAYSKULL" (He-Man movie) lands a new writer

[Mr. Shokoti]

Nope. Wrong again. I'm not sure what timeline you are going off of. All these projects have been in development for years. Joel Silver has been spearheading and been associated with MOTU as Time Warner for a long time. And its also not the first time screenwriters, directors, and producers were actively working on this. The project still isn't officially greenlit now. There's no release date. There's no physical production. Look at WB and Justice League, they had everything together before they shut it down in January of 2008.

How was I wrong in the first place much less wrong again? I never said that this latest round for the MOTU film had been greenlit. I do think a public release from WB about who is supposed to direct it(featuring the same director who co-directed a huge hit movie from last year) is a step closer to a potential movie than the talk of John Woo who, besides not seeming like a great fit, has yet to duplicate the success he's had with his Hong Kong movies. The Justice League movie involved a lot of factors that a He-Man movie won't have to(they started questioning whether they should emulate Marvel's plan to launch a bunch of solo movies before the team movie; they weren't sure how the movie would affect the more realistic tone of Nolan's hit Batman franchise; they weren't sure if they were going to reboot Superman or use the Superman Returns continuity).

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gi_joe/

Wow good reviews in UK. So far the movie had a weak opening and with such a huge budget, it probably won't make enough to warrant a bigger budget sequel. Sequels are almost never cheaper to make.

The first Austin Powers movie cost less than $20 million and made over $50 million in the US. So it still found a decent amount of success in theatrical run before becoming a phenomenon on DVD as well.

Also why are you just putting Austin Powers out there? Austin Powers really was a cheap comedy vehicle for Mike Meyers that just happen to become huge money for the now defunct New Line.

Also, look at the opening weekends for the Fantastic Four movies. This movie closely resembles the pattern for FF2. Now FF is a DEAD franchise at Fox.

Are you such a negative person that you feel you have to shoot down everyone's comments? Angel-T said the reviews were good in the UK. I didn't feel the need to search out ways to prove him(or me since I made a comment based on that) wrong. I brought in Austin Powers because it didn't make a lot at the box office but still had sequels. You're going on about how G.I. Joe is now a dead franchise after a few days of its release. If you're so prescient, why bother arguing with me at all. You know what I'll say next.

[Krueger]

And yes, GI Joe has something to do with He-Man. Hollywood is 100% predictable. After the LOTR and HP films, just look at all the fantasy book adaptations that Hollywood kept on spilling out as a result. He-Man and GI Joe are both cartoons/toylines from the 80s. That's what we meant when we said there are similarities. We didn’t mean that He-Man goes round yelling out "YO Joe" and carries a machine gun, and you know it. Once again, you're just seeing what you want to see in people's posts just to give you enough fuel to belittle and disregard them.

[Mr. Shokoti]

At first I resisted, but I've become so used to this tightly modded community, seeing a poster aggressively looking for an argument took me by surprise. It makes me feel like I'm at AintItCool(minus all the swearing) or any comic book forum.

[Krueger]

And yes, I will admit that 56 million isn’t overly brilliant for a tent-pole summer blockbuster, but it’s not flop material either. So far it’s done just over 100 million worldwide. I think GI Joe will still be a success, if a moderate one.

[TheShadow]

Let's play nice, folks

[Tallstar]

And yes, I will admit that 56 million isn’t overly brilliant for a tent-pole summer blockbuster, but it’s not flop material either. So far it’s done just over 100 million worldwide. I think GI Joe will still be a success, if a moderate one.

Yep. There's already plans for a sequel.

That's certainly good enough for Paramount to claim victory, however, and start thinking about the future. The studio's vice chairman, Rob Moore, confirmed that a sequel will soon go into development. The film's lead actors are contractually obligated to return for another film, though director Stephen Sommers is not.

[Krueger]

Let's play nice, folks

Aww, now my post makes no sense.

Yep. There's already plans for a sequel.

Of course, to ensure that any potential GI Joe sequels be a success Hasbro/Paramount could always do a GI Joe/Transformers crossover.

[Mr. Shokoti]

Of course, to ensure that any potential GI Joe sequels be a success Hasbro/Paramount could always do a GI Joe/Transformers crossover.

Please God, don't let that happen! I would rather there never be another Joe movie than have it offcially become a part of Bay's world full of farting, "peeing", and leg humping robots.

[Wolfchild]

First of all, I've not read all this thread yet as it's very long already, so I hope I'm not repeating many ideas here.

I think the new MotU movie needs to be both loyal to its origins and adapted to the media as well. Happened to all super-heroes adapted from comics and it's the only way to make it work as a movie. Some have been pretty good and others were just lousy, but nevertheless an adaptation is needed.

But we do need to keep the mythos quite intact in order to have a MotU movie that is actually on Masters of the Universe, and not about some guys who just happen to be called He-Man, Skeletor, etc.

So, first of all, no Earth! Not even Marlena as far as I'm concerned. Marlena being from Earth was an unecessary detail from DC and Filmation that actually served no purpose at all. Just, in my opinion, some pointless need to relate us to Eternia in some way, when there was no need all along - we can already relate to them, because in a way, the world and specially the people are very similar to us to begin with. So it's just like having a character in LOTR being from Earth: what's the point?

They should dwell in the Keldor/ Skeletor/ apprentice of Hordak canon. Works well, adds depth to the character (and an obscure mysterious character in the background that will have people wondering). This will be appealing to old-time fans since we are related to this canon already, and would work with new fans as well.

The story should go around the conquering of Grayskull and the power swords. There should be details about King Grayskull, that could work magic on imagination on the background of Eternia (much more than He-Ro, for instance, would)

All the main characters should retain their original personalities, with some added depth. Duncan the mentor, Teela the fierce, "can't see the forest for the trees" warrior woman, Orko the jester and fumbled magician, and so on. Adam/ He-man should keep his chivalric/ paladin nature but not be invincible or flawless. Invencible heroes are dull. He should be a great, powerful warrior, carrying a sword of even greater power, but still have human characteristics. He should be able to make mistakes. He should be able to fail.

Teela could have a secret attraction for He-Man but be too proud/ stubborn/ feminist to admit it. After all, she is military in a sense, and has tried to proven herself amongst men all her life. Love could look to her as a weakness.

The setting should drink from the original mini-comics version, the blended with the later canons. The only way to conceive a world filled with technology where people go around in loinclothes and furry boots is to have a post-war apocalyptic world reborn from it's ashes. Randor could be the next in line from the old hierarchy of kings trying to reassemble the kingdom of Eternos from the ravaging war against Hordak (who else?) centuries before. Man-At-Arms and Tri-Klops could keep their "scientist" ranks, but on a much more primitive level, still trying to figure out how the old machinery worked.

As for Adam/ He-Man... Adam should be He-Man, but no thanks to the classic transformation. It's a movie, not a kidies show. Not because of the transformation itself, but because the whole secret identity is and ever was pointless in MotU. Secret identities make sense when your main character blends in with the crowd, and are used to protect his private life. When this character happens to be the prince of the kingdom which is already under attack anyway, what's he actually protecting by having a secret identity? Makes no sense. And, having He-Man a somewhat flawed character, there's no need, storywise, for a flawed Adam anyway. Better yet, we could have Adam as the birthright heir to King Grayskull (Randor's ancestor) who would receive his great-great grandfather mystic sword as predicted by some ancient prophecy, and have him still be learning of his powers and responsabilities during the movie, in a "rite-of-passage" way. I'm not saying a teenage Adam, I'm saying warrior Adam that suddenly grows from warrior prince to the chosen one, "most powerful man in the universe" (though I wouldn't use this as a moto). We could (and should) have the "By the power of Grayskull - I have the Power!" sentence in the movie - just not in the classical sense.

Villains should be evil and grim (intead of bumblimg idiots) but not monochromatic as well. We could all have a couple of laughs with Beast-Man's slow wit, have Evil-Lyn both a seductress and power hungry witch, have a couple of jokes around Two-Bad arguing with himself. But make it subtle, these are evil warriors planning (and to a certain point succeding) on taking Eternia, they shouldn't be idiots. The basics for all the characters are all there and are all usable, and they're brilliant for the traits they were originally (or some, later on in MYP for instance) given, it's all a matter of how these traits are used and which lines the characters speak. If a character's personality should be somewhat changed, it sould be only done if it's certain it will work better (as Trap-jaw in MYP/ MV Creations). If in doubt, explore what's already defined. There's so much brilliant bacjground created already, why mess with what works?

Skeletor should remain somewhat mysterious and occult throught the movie, until the last battle against He-Man at the movie's climax. I wouldn't have him the Filmation jester, and the only way to keep the story tense around this Overlord of evil character is to have him in the background for most of the movie. Let his minions fight for him until the last decisive moment, the unknown makes such a better job at keeping the tension. And please, don't give him cheesy lines like in the '87 movie. Yes, it can be done.

And for the writter... there is so much to read and view in MotU to get inspiration from... what made MotU brilliant back in the day is all already there, so get it all, drink it all. It was just never adapted (properly) to the movie media. But the basics are all there. Please make a MotU movie... about Masters of the Universe, the ones we knw and love. Please.

Just my two cents anyway...

[vazqjose]

Completely agreed my friend, specially the fact that the world of MOTU itself is filled with technology, they walk around in furry boots and loin cloths.

As for the detail that wasnt mentioned, a roaming battle cat ravaging the slopes of ethernia will fill my heart with joy.

[fantombe]

But we do need to keep the mythos quite intact in order to have a MotU movie that is actually on Masters of the Universe, and not about some guys who just happen to be called He-Man, Skeletor, etc.

So, first of all, no Earth! Not even Marlena as far as I'm concerned...

What I love about this post is that it says it should keep the mythos intact, then goes on to list paragraph after paragraph of changes!

Not that I don't necessarily agree some of the changes would work, it was just hillarious to read:

"If they want to make this work, they have to be true to source.

So first thing: Change this. Oh and this. Oh and then do this with this character. And this character should now act like this..."

I have no real comment on the proposed changes, there's nothing in there that would stop me watching the movie, it just made me spit my tea out when I read paragraph 3 backed onto the first sentance of paragraph 4.

So anyway, as you were, I'd better go find a cloth while my keyboard still works...

[he-ron]

First of all, I've not read all this thread yet as it's very long already, so I hope I'm not repeating many ideas here.

I think the new MotU movie needs to be both loyal to its origins and adapted to the media as well. Happened to all super-heroes adapted from comics and it's the only way to make it work as a movie. Some have been pretty good and others were just lousy, but nevertheless an adaptation is needed.

But we do need to keep the mythos quite intact in order to have a MotU movie that is actually on Masters of the Universe, and not about some guys who just happen to be called He-Man, Skeletor, etc.

So, first of all, no Earth! Not even Marlena as far as I'm concerned. Marlena being from Earth was an unecessary detail from DC and Filmation that actually served no purpose at all. Just, in my opinion, some pointless need to relate us to Eternia in some way, when there was no need all along - we can already relate to them, because in a way, the world and specially the people are very similar to us to begin with. So it's just like having a character in LOTR being from Earth: what's the point?

They should dwell in the Keldor/ Skeletor/ apprentice of Hordak canon. Works well, adds depth to the character (and an obscure mysterious character in the background that will have people wondering). This will be appealing to old-time fans since we are related to this canon already, and would work with new fans as well.

The story should go around the conquering of Grayskull and the power swords. There should be details about King Grayskull, that could work magic on imagination on the background of Eternia (much more than He-Ro, for instance, would)

All the main characters should retain their original personalities, with some added depth. Duncan the mentor, Teela the fierce, "can't see the forest for the trees" warrior woman, Orko the jester and fumbled magician, and so on. Adam/ He-man should keep his chivalric/ paladin nature but not be invincible or flawless. Invencible heroes are dull. He should be a great, powerful warrior, carrying a sword of even greater power, but still have human characteristics. He should be able to make mistakes. He should be able to fail.

Teela could have a secret attraction for He-Man but be too proud/ stubborn/ feminist to admit it. After all, she is military in a sense, and has tried to proven herself amongst men all her life. Love could look to her as a weakness.

The setting should drink from the original mini-comics version, the blended with the later canons. The only way to conceive a world filled with technology where people go around in loinclothes and furry boots is to have a post-war apocalyptic world reborn from it's ashes. Randor could be the next in line from the old hierarchy of kings trying to reassemble the kingdom of Eternos from the ravaging war against Hordak (who else?) centuries before. Man-At-Arms and Tri-Klops could keep their "scientist" ranks, but on a much more primitive level, still trying to figure out how the old machinery worked.

As for Adam/ He-Man... Adam should be He-Man, but no thanks to the classic transformation. It's a movie, not a kidies show. Not because of the transformation itself, but because the whole secret identity is and ever was pointless in MotU. Secret identities make sense when your main character blends in with the crowd, and are used to protect his private life. When this character happens to be the prince of the kingdom which is already under attack anyway, what's he actually protecting by having a secret identity? Makes no sense. And, having He-Man a somewhat flawed character, there's no need, storywise, for a flawed Adam anyway. Better yet, we could have Adam as the birthright heir to King Grayskull (Randor's ancestor) who would receive his great-great grandfather mystic sword as predicted by some ancient prophecy, and have him still be learning of his powers and responsabilities during the movie, in a "rite-of-passage" way. I'm not saying a teenage Adam, I'm saying warrior Adam that suddenly grows from warrior prince to the chosen one, "most powerful man in the universe" (though I wouldn't use this as a moto). We could (and should) have the "By the power of Grayskull - I have the Power!" sentence in the movie - just not in the classical sense.

Villains should be evil and grim (intead of bumblimg idiots) but not monochromatic as well. We could all have a couple of laughs with Beast-Man's slow wit, have Evil-Lyn both a seductress and power hungry witch, have a couple of jokes around Two-Bad arguing with himself. But make it subtle, these are evil warriors planning (and to a certain point succeding) on taking Eternia, they shouldn't be idiots. The basics for all the characters are all there and are all usable, and they're brilliant for the traits they were originally (or some, later on in MYP for instance) given, it's all a matter of how these traits are used and which lines the characters speak. If a character's personality should be somewhat changed, it sould be only done if it's certain it will work better (as Trap-jaw in MYP/ MV Creations). If in doubt, explore what's already defined. There's so much brilliant bacjground created already, why mess with what works?

Skeletor should remain somewhat mysterious and occult throught the movie, until the last battle against He-Man at the movie's climax. I wouldn't have him the Filmation jester, and the only way to keep the story tense around this Overlord of evil character is to have him in the background for most of the movie. Let his minions fight for him until the last decisive moment, the unknown makes such a better job at keeping the tension. And please, don't give him cheesy lines like in the '87 movie. Yes, it can be done.

And for the writter... there is so much to read and view in MotU to get inspiration from... what made MotU brilliant back in the day is all already there, so get it all, drink it all. It was just never adapted (properly) to the movie media. But the basics are all there. Please make a MotU movie... about Masters of the Universe, the ones we knw and love. Please.

Just my two cents anyway...

I agree with most of the things you said, but people love the transformation from Prince Adam to HE-MAN .. it makes things more interesting. cool as it was to see dolph lundren shout I HAVE THE POWA!!!! It has much more meaning when prince adam has a reason to turn into He-man making him more powerful... don't make adam a punk...make him tough but let it be known even though he is tough..he is no match for skeletor....
I like marlena being from earth it give it dept on the signifigance of adam being uniquely special to have the powers of grayskull.filmation had a lot of good ideas. they gave a level of color to the characters.keep HE-MAN true in alot of ways....i like a little bit from every cannon to make this movie extra special..above all show me why HE-MAN is the most powerful man in the UNIVERSE!!!! why skeletor is the overlord of evil....don't kill randor off(that is from another thread about ideas from the movie script)the 2002 movie was good to start use , as the basic idea then expound in different directions time line things a little better.. then create new things for the movie...from begining to the end..through in some continuty ( ,King Greyskull,hero,sword of he .., zodac/zodak,teelana)...... with a new and different finish so it will not be the same movie.......also give a peak of the millions of secrets grayskull posses show why ther are so many more secrets than the powers swords and orb of power,(portals to other worlds ,weapons of great power,e.t.c)(so many ideas)... grayskull has so much more to offer. there is so much rich back story to this property.. it is so rich.... use it! if you entice people about the greatness of grayskull that will make people care more about the property .show why He-man ,Must protect this great structure from the maniac genuis skeletor who is so power full he-man can barely stop him as great and powerful as he is....

[Wolfchild]

What I love about this post is that it says it should keep the mythos intact, then goes on to list paragraph after paragraph of changes!

The mythos, the concept, the backbone is there in what I've written. But the story needs adaptation in order to work in the movie theatres. I started the post by stating that actually. Nothing I've written is actually new but only something from the original canons with or without some adaptations. I think we could all recognize the world of Eternia in there. In a He-Man soldier from Earth and similar ideas, there would be nothing pf our original character.

I agree with most of the things you said, but people love the transformation from Prince Adam to HE-MAN .. it makes things more interesting.

Some people here love Adam's transformation. But this isn't for he-orgers, to have a movie we need it to be made for wider audiences, otherwise it will flop. And I don't think Adam turning to He-Man in a movie. But maybe that's just me.

[fantombe]

The mythos, the concept, the backbone is there in what I've written. But the story needs adaptation in order to work in the movie theatres. I started the post by stating that actually. Nothing I've written is actually new but only something from the original canons with or without some adaptations. I think we could all recognize the world of Eternia in there. In a He-Man soldier from Earth and similar ideas, there would be nothing pf our original character.

That's exactly what I'm talking about. I have no problem at all with what you've written. MOTU has 101 ways it can be realised, and the way you've described how you'd like to see a movie fits nicely within those.

What I found so funny was not what you wrote, but the combination of the unwittingness with which you wrote it, at the time, the text made it look like you didn't realise the irony of what you were writing, and the comic timing of the two sentences I highlighted in particular.

So it wasn't actually your ideas. I'd be perfectly happy to watch the movie you've described. What you've described is incredibly similar to the previous movie, but with a bigger budget and more sophisticated effects technology (i.e. how that movie could have been if made today), and I loved the previous movie, so I'm fully behind your ideas.

But just to recap, it wasn't what you wrote that made me laugh, it was how it was written.

[Wolfchild]

I understood your point, but since MotU has various different mythos, I tought they should drink from the various original sources rather than trying to make something new (ie, Adam a military from Earth )

So the only thing I think I changed in my suggestion was Adam's/ He-Man transformation. Marlena not being from Earth was in MYP, the post apocalyptic world was from the mini-comics (along with many other things I pointed there), most of the character personalities were from Filmation, only less exagerated.

I don't hate nor love the 1987 movie, I'm cool with it, but I think that storywise alone it could have been much better and more loyal to the previous canons, but the fact that it doesn't give much on the characters backgound doesn't help. And of course, nowadays we could have soooo much better special effects, even in a relatively limited budget. But that movie is probably, from all previously released media of MotU, the one I'd drink less (if at all) from to make the new one. Also, it had the swords and fantasy, but not much of the barbaric feel of He-Man. Maybe it was the lack of furry underware, or the excessive laser weapons and flying machines (along with the Earth environment) but it never felt barbaric to me. Filmation's He-Man was much less barbaric than the mini-comics, and I feel MYP was somewhere in between (maybe because of the action scenes) and I hope it goes more in that direction. Even the design of the war machines account much for that barbaric vibe: the originals (battle ram most of all, but others too) were a perfect blend of sci-fi and barbarian warriors. More like Conan meets Mad Max (with the darker environment and old tech resused) rather than SuperMan meets Star Wars.

he-ron: I'm not against Marlena being from Earth, but I don't really think it adds much to the plot. But if they use that, that wouldn't really do any harm, just would sound like a big thing with no real, noticeable, impact. I think that's why that concept was abandoned in the MYP version. The transformation is another deal... it can damage because, in a purely rational view, it makes no sense at all. We old-timers might relate to it because we grew with it, but people who may enjoy but are not previous fans would probably question "why the hell...?"

PS: I forgot the unforgettable. Man I hope Battle Cat makes it to the movie. He was soooo missing in the '87 version!!!

[wallbie]

Of course, to ensure that any potential GI Joe sequels be a success Hasbro/Paramount could always do a GI Joe/Transformers crossover.

Of course, if they did it in the comics, I don't see why they wouldn't eventually try to do it in the movies. I am a big fan of crossovers, but I never was a HUGE fan of either franchise as a kid, and I'm not crazy about their take on the designs with the Robocop suits in the movie. I'll wait until it comes out on HBO or Cinemax like I did with Transformers.

Regardless of how I feel about these two franchise, my opinion mirrors a lot of others, the movies coming out do not hurt MOTU's chances of coming out in the form of another movie. You've got to admit, MOTU was a little bit ahead of those other two properties just because it had a live action movie when their big movie features were only animation back in the eighties.

Still, if you tug on people's nostalgic memories and they have kids who enjoy some of the really annoying stuff that's out right now, why not at least get them into something that was a sure-fire hit when you were a kid and you can have that much more to connect with in that respect. Let's just hope the studios see the potential of investing in this movie now (especially with the way MOTUC sells out. Come on, He-Ro sold out before any of the other SDCC exclusives did. That's saying something!) and don't play the sit-and-wait game that will eventually put it into developmental hell.

[foots_mcgee]

Some people here love Adam's transformation. But this isn't for he-orgers, to have a movie we need it to be made for wider audiences, otherwise it will flop. And I don't think Adam turning to He-Man in a movie. But maybe that's just me.

While I agree the transformation is cheesy and would be hard to pull off in a live action movie, I think it is too big of a player to completely dismiss.

I like your idea of Adam being a warrior and not necessarily being flawed. I would suggest that the majority of the movie would consist of Adam and the other Masters attempting to fend off Skeletor. They should barely be holding them off with the future looking grim. At that point Adam realizes his destiny, is given the sword, becomes one with the sword, whatever... There the transformation happens. Once. (It would still have to be done cleverly) That tips the scales enough so that the Masters are able to at least suppress Skeletor's attack.

This pays homage to the transformation scene, solves the problem of the male hero being scantily clad for two hours, and presents the opportunity to go either way with the secret identity in a sequel.

[Wolfchild]

foots_mcgee, your idea is actually good, but I wouln't have Adam turn into He-Man late in the movie. We need He-Man for the most part. But dismissing the secret identity concept, while keeping a "transformation" for the first time Adam gets the sword, is actually a great idea!

[cronosred]

If it wasn't a secret that Adam was He-Man then why would anyone call him He-Man? Wouldn't they still call him Prince Adam? Would he ever be called Adam again or is it like Adam is dead now there is only He-Man?

[VaultsofGrayskull]

Original MOTU movie - portals between worlds and technology - rubbish and unsuccessful.

Lord of the Rings trilogy - fantasy world of swords and sorcery - brilliant and successful.

Visitors to Vaults Of Grayskull will know how I feel about how the pitfalls of using anything other than original canon themes in a new MOTU film.

When I wrote my Grayskull trilogy (available to read on the site) I deliberately kept it to the original concepts - even to the extent of not having a Prince Adam character.

I know there are many, many Prince Adam fans out there, but I believe the secret identity thing only really works in superhero stories, not fantasy ones.

I don't think anyone should write a MOTU script without a profound understanding and appreciation of the origins of the concept.

If the new MOTU film is anything other than a fantasy epic, it will be disappointing.

Of course I would like to see my Grayskull story turned into a movie trilogy, but you probably wouldn't expect me to say anything else!

[fantombe]

What we also have to consider though, is although some people have a preference to go right back to the original source material, MOTU wasn't a success until the Filmation cartoon. I know that certainly one of the draws to the whole story for me was the secret identity, and that only a select few people knew it.

So can we honestly speculate that the very original canon will be a success now?

And similarly, a lot of the draw for people is that He-man is a superhero. Take that away, and what separates MOTU from any other generic sword and sorcery tale?

We can suggest that LOTR was a success because of its genre, but it's the only example people have posted that I've seen. No-one seems to have mentioned the many other high fantasy and sword and sorcery films that have been a massive failure.

There's an awful lot of scope to make a MOTU movie and still fall well within the realms of what makes it different and recogniseable. I'd hate to see the superhero and technology aspects that make it stand out get stripped back until it's just another throwaway barbarian movie.

[Mr. Shokoti]

What we also have to consider though, is although some people have a preference to go right back to the original source material, MOTU wasn't a success until the Filmation cartoon. I know that certainly one of the draws to the whole story for me was the secret identity, and that only a select few people knew it.

So can we honestly speculate that the very original canon will be a success now?

And similarly, a lot of the draw for people is that He-man is a superhero. Take that away, and what separates MOTU from any other generic sword and sorcery tale?

We can suggest that LOTR was a success because of its genre, but it's the only example people have posted that I've seen. No-one seems to have mentioned the many other high fantasy and sword and sorcery films that have been a massive failure.

There's an awful lot of scope to make a MOTU movie and still fall well within the realms of what makes it different and recogniseable. I'd hate to see the superhero and technology aspects that make it stand out get stripped back until it's just another throwaway barbarian movie.

I agree with everything here. I'd also point out that Lord Of The Rings was probably so successful since it was based on a well loved series of books that even those who weren't fans of the genre had read.

[VaultsofGrayskull]

A commercial success indeed, but at the expense of quality and depth, in my opinion. From an original canon fan, this may sound surprising, but I actually rather enjoyed Filmation... but turning Skeletor and his cronies into bungling idiots when they had been malevolent demons beforehand was not really a positive development. I don't see that character interpretation as being good for a film.

The LOTR trilogy was a success for a number of reasons. Yes, it was based on a well-written and imaginative novel, but the advances in animation and rendering software gave it something spectacular that earlier fantasy films did not have. The non-Hollywood approach was important too.

Probably most genres have more flops than successes, so that's not exclusively the domain of fantasy. The first Beastmaster movie and the Conan stuff were ok.

If there is going to be a Prince Adam character in any MOTU film, all I ask is, please give him something to wear other than lilac tights.

[fantombe]

A commercial success indeed, but at the expense of quality and depth, in my opinion. From an original canon fan, this may sound surprising, but I actually rather enjoyed Filmation... but turning Skeletor and his cronies into bungling idiots when they had been malevolent demons beforehand was not really a positive development. I don't see that character interpretation as being good for a film.

Everything being criticised here is a result of the medium rather than the canon. I think most people would agree with you in terms of how a children's cartoon should be adapted to a family/gritty/(insert personal movie preference here) live action movie.

And let's also remember the first four words of that paragraph is exactly the number one priority of the film studio.

The LOTR trilogy was a success for a number of reasons. Yes, it was based on a well-written and imaginative novel, but the advances in animation and rendering software gave it something spectacular that earlier fantasy films did not have. The non-Hollywood approach was important too.

Also worth remembering here that the failure rate isn't limited to earlier fantasy films. Advancing in animation and rendering have given the many similar genre films produced around the same time and after that have failed hideously the exact same advantages.

Probably most genres have more flops than successes, so that's not exclusively the domain of fantasy. The first Beastmaster movie and the Conan stuff were ok.

If there is going to be a Prince Adam character in any MOTU film, all I ask is, please give him something to wear other than lilac tights.

I would imagine all characters will be heavily redesigned, and if following the trend of most movies (Transormers being the exception with the main characters being machines), rightly or wrongly the colour pallet will most likely be blunted considerabley. So I don't think pink tights is something anyone will need to worry about!

[Wolfchild]

If it wasn't a secret that Adam was He-Man then why would anyone call him He-Man? Wouldn't they still call him Prince Adam? Would he ever be called Adam again or is it like Adam is dead now there is only He-Man?

His name could always be "Adam". He-Man is a sort of title of an ancient legacy. His friends could still call him Adam, but his enemies would go with the He-Man alias.

I would imagine all characters will be heavily redesigned, and if following the trend of most movies (Transormers being the exception with the main characters being machines), rightly or wrongly the colour pallet will most likely be blunted considerabley. So I don't think pink tights is something anyone will need to worry about!

I hope they keep the color pallete more than they did in other movies of the genre, ie, GI Joe, X-Men. Of course there would be a few exceptions. Adam in a MYP kinda outfit wouldn't look bad, but actually he should appear in more than one set of clothes. I can't see a prince wearing the same outfit everyday in real life