Scrapped ‘Masters of the Universe’ Movie Details Revealed

Long before Kevin Smith’s new Masters of the Universe TV series for Netflix, David S. Goyer had an idea for his own live-action He-Man movie. Back in 2017, Goyer was approached to pen a script and possibly direct the project, which he ultimately passed on. His concept was centered on the relationship of He-Man and his pet, Battle Cat. During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Goyer revealed some intriguing bits about the Masters of the Universe script that never came to be.

“I legitimately liked the script that we did. What I liked the most about it was that it was mostly about a friendship between He-Man and Battle Cat,” Goyer explained. “The idea was there had always been He-Men and different recipients of the Sword of Power and that Battle Cat had always served at their side. And this was a new He-Man that Battle Cat and many people didn’t think it was worthy of the sword. So it was a story of the character earning the sword, but, more importantly, earning the friendship of Battle Cat, who just thought this guy was a lightweight.”

That actually sounds kind of adorable. Goyer went on to reiterate how fond he was of the idea, which offered a fun twist on He-Man’s story. “There was a lot of humor in it, and it creeps up on you because Battle Cat sort of grudgingly accepts him, and it’s Battle Cat’s acceptance of He-Man that gave this version of the story heart.”

It would have been cool to see how Goyer would have approached this concept from a live-action perspective. There's a lot of directions you could go with a CG Battle Cat, from cute to terrifying. Or a mixture of both. Here's hoping that Smith’s new series stokes enough interest in the franchise to see another live-action adaptation get off its feet.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation is available for streaming now on Netflix.