Gawker: defamer, he-man

Warner Bros. Options 'Thundercats,' Mulls Acquisition Of 'Lazer Tag Academy'

Mark — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 12:18:50 EDT

The recent announcement that Warner Bros. would be resurrecting He-Man for yet another big-screen adaptation stirred little in us, other than a vague feeling that our childhood had once again been diddled by a studio desperate for ideas and mild disappointment that they hadn't chosen the relatively underexploited, vastly superior Thundercats for their 80s cartoon revival project. Imagine, then, the mixture of delight and fear we experienced upon reading in today's Var that Warners has optioned a script that could one day result in Lion-O, Panthro, Cheetara (inevitably to be played by Brandon Routh, Michael Clark Duncan, and Elisha Cuthbert) and their mutant-feline clan battling Mumm-Ra (Kevin Spacey, cashing an easy paycheck) at your local multiplex. But as Dolph Lundren's beloved Masters movie has set the creative bar dauntingly high for the new He-Man project, the successful development of Thundercats faces its own challenge, as the cartoon has already received a live-action treatment that arguably obviates the need for further updates. A clip of this visionary masterwork follows after the jump:

Warner purrs for Thundercats [Var]
Thundercats in real life [YouTube]
Previously: Joel Silver Ready To Resurrect He-Man [Defamer]

First 'He-Man' Teaser Trailer Released

Mark — Thu, 24 May 2007 21:07:36 EDT

· Sure, it's an old clip from a tired meme, but with today's He-Man remake news, no harm in reliving the magic. [via commenter I'm Waitin' for Dolemite]
· Old friend Bachem Macuno returns with The Bush Twins Save the World.
· Renegade gator brought to justice, sentenced to life term at Griffith Park Zoo.
· Pirates 3 is already breaking box office records.

Joel Silver Ready To Resurrect He-Man

Mark — Thu, 24 May 2007 15:38:52 EDT

It's been 20 years since Hollywood pooped out Dolph Lungren vehicle Masters of the Universe, the big-screen version of the moderately beloved (let's be honest here: it was no Thundercats) 1980s after-school toy infomercial, so in keeping with the industry's loosely observed Two Decade Rule for the re-adaptation of previously exploited material, superproducer Joel Silver and Warner Bros. now feel enough time has passed to do another He-Man movie. The early plans already sound as if the creative team isn't going to sidestep the Gay He-Man Question, as recent queer-cinema blockbuster 300 is cited as an inspiration for their vision; once the deal is finalized and the script finished, production should begin on a cavernous Warner Bros. soundstage, where the prodigiously muscled, well-oiled actors playing He-Man, Ram-Man, and Fisto will gather in front of a green screen to battle the six-packed legions of darkness led by a liberally pierced Skeletor and equally terrifying, orally fixated henchman Trap-Jaw.

He-Man returns to big screen [Variety]