Terminator: Salvation Director in Talks for He-Man Movie

A new Masters of the Universe movie has been in development for many years, but it now seems that the project is closer to securing a director. It has been reported that Terminator: Salvation director McG--real name Joseph McGinty Nichol--is being lined up for a new film version of the classic cartoon and toy line.

According to Deadline, McG is in talks to take on the project. The director is best known for 2009's Terminator sequel, as well as the two Charlie's Angels movies from the early 2000s. Last summer it was reported that Christopher Yost, who wrote Thor: The Dark World and the forthcoming Thor: Ragnarok for Marvel, had been hired to work on the script.

Mattel launched the Masters of the Universe toy line in 1982, creating a mythology about the conflict between good and evil on the planet of Eternia. A cartoon based on the property, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, ran for two years, in addition to a comic book series, the spinoff animation She-Ra: Princess of Power, and a number of video games.

In 1987, Cannon Films produced a movie version, starring Dolph Lundgren as muscle-bound hero He-Man. By that point, however, the popularity of Masters of the Universe was in decline, and the toys were discontinued the following year. Subsequent attempts to revive the franchise have included a new toy line and a second animated series in the early 2000s.