Mattel posted some info on their Facebook page which should help calm those who missed out on their first releases and are worried they’ll never be able to get the figures at a fair price.
MOTUC fans,
While we sold out of He-Man in about the time we expected, Skeletor went really fast. We are still reviewing sales but if fan support continues it looks like we could have a real winner.
For those who missed out on the first three figures, we will indeed bring core characters back from time to time, but will change things up such as packaging, deco or even accessories to preserve the collectability of the first release. But hey, it can’t be a MOTU line without He-Man and Skeletor. So in one fashion or another they will return down the road. (and don’t forget Battle Armor, Terror Claws, New Adeventures, 200X etc. Lot of good ways to keep these guys around without the words spin or blade.)
And on another note, check out the site for some exciting news about the MOTU film from Warner Bros.!
If I were running MOTUC, I’d re-release He-Man and Skeletor in different packaging, without the half-swords and with some new accessories, such as Skeletor’s purple axe from “Diamond Ray of Disappearance” and maybe a more cartoon-accurate scabbard for He-Man’s sword. A paint redeco could be interesting too, but I’d worry too many collectors would complain they want the same figure as the first release, while the collectors who already had them would complain they had to buy another one.
As for the aforementioned movie news, here it is:
WB, Joel Silver shaping He-Man film
John Stevenson to direct live action ‘Masters’Warner Bros. and producer Joel Silver set “Kung Fu Panda” co-director John Stevenson to make his live action directing debut on “Masters of the Universe,” a re-imagining of the signature Mattel toy line.
He-Man is a brawny prince who transforms into a warrior who becomes the last hope for a magical land called Eternia, which is being ravaged by technology and the evil Skeletor.
Silver is producing through his Silver Pictures banner. Mattel’s Barry Waldo will be executive producer.
WB acquired the property in 2007, and Justin Marks wrote the first draft of the script based on a story he wrote with Neil Ellice.
The Mattel property became iconic by way of the 1980s cartoon series “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe,” and the property was previously turned into a campy flop by Cannon Films in 1987, with Dolph Lungdren as He-Man and “Frost/Nixon” star Frank Langella as the villainous Skeletor.
The film project is a big priority for Mattel, which offers a high-end line of He-Man toys that are popular with hardcore collectors through its direct to collector web site MattyCollector.com.com .
Stevenson said the first film came to mind when he was asked to consider the job, and the impression wasn’t a good one. He changed his mind when he went to Mattel headquarters and was shown into a secret lair that contained the visuals created by the toymaker staff.
“There was this locked bunker that you had to be escorted into,” Stevenson said. “It was filled with art, some generated by the Mattel artists, and I looked around, and said, ‘I get it.’ We started formulating a specific vision for costumes, creatures, architecture, and the creation of a mythology and look for a whole world we’ll create.”
Waldo said that Stevenson’s vision to elevate the material matched with Mattel’s desire to see He-Man become a big studio film. Mattel has also brought its “Hot Wheels” film to WB and Silver.
“John had such passion that we found ourselves trying to running to catch up with his vision,” Waldo said.
Stevenson has also worked on “Shrek” and “Shrek 2,” “Madagascar,” and “James and the Giant Peach,” and began his career working for Jim Henson on projects that included “The Dark Crystal” and “Labyrinth.”
At this point, I’m taking a “I’ll believe it when I pay $10 to see it” attitude about the MOTU movie. Considering the disaster that was the 1987 film and the lovable goofiness of the property, I’m just not sure how you could make a good blockbuster movie out of it…although I suppose cribbing from Jack Kirby’s New Gods was a start.
Finally, Matty released a publicity ad for Faker, who will be available this week at the New York Comic Con and also as March’s Mattycollector.com MOTUC figure.
Tom-Tom
If it does go forward, I wonder if Mattel would release the Matty Collector figures at retail.