'Masters of the Universe' Director Shortlist Includes Jeff Wadlow, Mike Cahill, and More

With toy movies all the rage again thanks to The LEGO Movie, Sony Pictures is ramping up their plans to bring He-Man & the Masters of the Universe to the big screen. In the works seemingly forever, the project most recently had Jon M. Chu on board before he split to focus on another toy franchise in GI Joe. Terry Rossio (Pirates of the Caribbean) was brought on to take a crack at the script, and now a new shortlist of potential directors has surfaced.

Variety and The Wrap have revealed the list of candidates to bring He-Man's adventures to the big screen for the first time since the comically awful Dolph Lundgren film. The most interesting name on the list is Mike Cahill, the indie filmmaker best known for working with Brit Marling on Another Earth and his Sundance film, I Origins (which is amazing, by the way). Also on the list are Jeff Wadlow (Kick-Ass 2) and Harald Zwart (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones), both having flopped hard with major studio efforts last summer. Last on the list is Chris McKay, an interesting choice because he served as an editor on The LEGO Movie and is a key component of Adult Swim's Robot Chicken. Zwart is close with Sony and may be the guy they ultimately turn to despite his recent failures.

Last month's rumor that had Rian Johnson, Phil Lord & Chris Miller, and Joe Cornish listed as candidates was proven to be totally incorrect. Not a surprise given the source.  This one's still a ways off and other directors are being considered