Back in October, Universal Pictures' Masters of the Universe adaptation lost some steam when director Jon M. Chu backed out of the project, most likely due to signing on for G.I. Joe 3. We haven't heard anything about this project since then, but now we have word that the studio has compiled a short list of potential directors, including Rian Johnson (Looper), Joe Cornish (Attack the Block), Andres Muschietti (Mama), Phil Lord and Chris Miller (21 Jump Street) and Kirk De Micco and Chris Sanders (The Croods).

There is no word on which of these filmmakers may be the front runner at this time, but our report from October also noted that Terry Rossio (The Lone Ranger) had come aboard to rewrite the script. It isn't clear if the writer is starting from scratch, or if he is incorporating elements from previous drafts by Richard Wenk (The Expendables 2) and the writing team of Alex Litvak and Michael Finch (Predators).

The project is based on the 1980s animated TV series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, which followed the mighty He-Man as he fights the evil Skeletor. Like the TV series, this live-action adaptation will be set on He-Man's home planet of Eternia. The 1987 live-action Masters of the Universe, which starred Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor, was set on Earth.