Normally we don't report the hiring/firing of actors/directors inside the Hollywood machine, because frankly, nobody really cares. But when a project has been as simultaneously troubled and beloved as the rumored He-Man movie, we'll make an exception. Thought to be canceled, Variety is reporting the project is back and in business, having just taken on the co-director of last summer's amazing Kung Fu Panda to bring it all together! While previous attempts to bring the franchise back have met with mixed results, producer Joel Silver (Die Hard, The Matrix) is set to bring Mattel's immensely popular series back into the spotlight, no doubt encouraged by the recent success of the live-action Transformers film.
Panda's co-director John Stevenson seems right for the role, having convinced the world an overweight panda could become a martial arts expert, but also has his hands deep in geek-history, including the first two Shrek films, James and the Giant Peach, as well as several Jim Henson projects (including The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth). The passion is certainly there, and let's hope he can harness nearly thirty years of expectations into a watchable film.
FUN FACT! In the original (and horrendous) live-action adaptation, He-Man's nemesis Skeletor was played by none other than Frank Langella, up for the Best Actor Academy Award for his stellar performance as President Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon!
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