Kick-Ass 2 Director to Rewrite, Possibly Direct Masters of the Universe

MovieWeb

By Brian Gallagher

Published Apr 10, 2014

The filmmaker doesn't have a deal to direct at this time, with I Origins director Mike Cahill also competing for the job.

Ever since Jon M. Chu dropped out of directing Masters of the Universe back in October, Universal Pictures has been looking for the right filmmaker to take his place, with a number of directors reportedly in contention. Today, we have word that Jeff Wadlow, who wrote and directed Kick-Ass 2, has signed on to rewrite the script and possibly direct.

The filmmaker was mentioned in February as one of the many contenders for this coveted job, including Mike Cahill (Another Earth), Harald Zwart (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones) and Chris McKay, who served as the editor of The Lego Movie but has never directed a feature before.

Jeff Wadlow's deal is only to write the script at this time, he could still end up directing the feature. While many are wondering who will direct Masters of the Universe, sources claim that the story is still far from ready, which lead to Jeff Wadlow coming on board to rework the screenplay, putting him in a good spot to direct once the studio decides to move forward.

Another report from Schmoes Know indicated that the writer had actually signed on to direct. That is apparently not the case, with The Wrap reporting he is still a front runner alongside Mike Cahill.

Alex Litvak and Michael Finch (Predators) wrote the initial screenplay draft, which was subsequently worked on by Richard Wenk (The Expendables 2) and, most recently, Terry Rossio.

This live-action project is based on the 1980s animated TV series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, which follows He-Man and his quest to defeat the evil Skeletor. This new version will be set on He-Man's home planet of Eternia, centering on Prince Adam's transformation into He-Man as he defends Castle Greyskull from Skeletor. The series previously spawned the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie, which was set on Earth and starred Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor.

Jeff Wadlow is also attached to write and direct the comic book adaptation X-Force, although it isn't known when production may begin on that highly-anticipated project.