Laika’s Travis Knight In Final Talks To Reboot ‘Masters Of The Universe’ With New Feature

Mattel may have finally found the filmmaker to reboot its iconic Masters of the Universe franchise. According to reports, Laika president and CEO Travis Knight is in the final stages of negotiations to direct an upcoming cinematic adaptation of the cult favorite 1980s cartoon series.

According to Deadline, Knight is Mattel’s favored candidate to reboot the franchise and was the only filmmaker asked to present his ideas in person. Knight is an accomplished director who helmed the Oscar-nominated feature Kubo and the Two Strings and the Transformers spin-off Bumblebee, giving him some toy property credibility. He has also produced a pair of Oscar nominees in The Missing Link and The Boxtrolls.

The Deadline article did not explicitly say whether the Masters of the Universe film will be live-action or animated. However, an earlier version of the project was initially scheduled for 2019 with a turnaround time that would have only been possible for a live-action production.

Screenwriter Chris Butler, a Laika regular with writing credits on ParaNorman, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Missing Link, is writing the film’s screenplay, from an earlier draft by David Callaham and Aron and Adam Nee. Mattel’s Robbie Brenner and Escape Artists’ Todd Black and Jason Blumenthal are slated to produce, and Deadline says that Amazon MGM Studios is close to securing the rights to the film.

The Masters of the Universe project is based on a cult classic 1980s animated series that mixed science fiction and fantasy to tell the story of a fantastic battle between He-Man and Skeletor on the planet Eternia. Since its launch, the franchise has spawned countless retail products and comic spin-offs, several video games, six animated series, and two feature films.

Mattel is going all in on adapting its properties, and it’s easy to understand why after the incredible success of last year’s Barbie, which grossed $1.45 at the global box office. The company recently announced a Puerto Rico-set Bob the Builder theatrical feature, the first produced by its production arm Mattel Films.

Mattel is also working on a cg Barnie series as well as projects for American Girl, Hot Wheels, Magic 8 Ball, Major Matt Mason, Matchbox, Polly Pocket, Rock’ Em Sock’ Em Robots, Thomas & Friends, UNO, View-Master, and Wishbone. Mattel Films is also developing Christmas Balloon, a holiday family drama based on an all-new IP.