Nearly four decades before its big screen revival, Masters of the universe He overcame a series of setbacks to make his way to theaters.
Mattel, known for its Barbie dolls but struggling with action figures, launched the property in 1982 with a toy line that included a sword-wielding, muscle-clad He-Man figure and the skeletal enemy Skeletor. To capitalize on the popularity of the games, make anime series He is the man and master of the universe It debuted a year later, focusing on the two heroes fighting on the planet Eternia and its castle Grayskull, with Prince Adam transformed into the powerful He-Man.
Cannon Group and Mattel have begun work on a live-action film with a script from the live-action film Puppet show Writer David Odell. Director Gary Goddard dealt with ongoing budget issues, stating in 2015: “Behind the scenes, it was very difficult, in terms of not having the money.” says cast member Barry Livingston Hollywood Reporter On Goddard’s relationship with the producers, “By the end of the shoot, which was running late and over budget and over schedule, there was a lot of tension. I felt like the director was under a lot of pressure to get it done.”
He-Man stars Dolph Lundgren, the Swedish-born martial arts expert best known for portraying Ivan Drago in 1985. Rocky IV. The performer was still perfecting his English at the time, and his garbled delivery prompted Goddard to push for a different actor to dub the lines, although budget constraints prevented this. “It felt right to me,” Lundgren says. THR.
Frank Langella played Skeletor, and the Tony Award-winning actor was sometimes frustrated by the long days spent in heavy prosthetic makeup. “Some nights, they couldn’t even get anything done [with him]”When I saw him getting so fed up, he wiped all that shit off his face and said, ‘I’m going home,'” Livingston recalled.
The cast included James Tolkan, Meg Foster and Courteney Cox early in their careers. Chelsea Field, who played Teyla in the film, remembers spending time on weekends with a group of the project team, including Cox, Tolkan, Langella, and editor Anne V. Coates. “We would all have dinner parties every week,” Field says. “We would go to Courtney and Betty’s house. Courtney loved to cook, and I did, too.”
Masters of the universe It reached theaters on August 7, 1987. With limited marketing, it grossed $17 million ($50 million today), and failed to turn a profit. The franchise returns to theaters on June 5 with the Amazon MGM reboot starring Nicholas Galitzine and Jared Leto.
Lundgren, who appeared in the reboot, called the release of the original “disappointing” but added with pride Masters “It has become one of my most popular films.”
This story appeared in the June 3 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
