The Upcoming He-Man Movie May Debut On Netflix

The beloved '80s cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is well on its way to getting a reboot movie. Back in April 2017, it was reported the movie could come to theaters this December. Obviously, that's not the case now, and this new take on MOTU is still in development. Regardless, a recent report suggest that the movie may head to a streaming service instead of theaters.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony is "exploring the prospect" of making the movie with Netflix, which would ultimately send the film to the streaming service, rather than the big screen. As THR reports, only preliminary discussions about the prospect have happened between the studio and the streamer.

What it comes down to is price. While the studio could partner with someone to share the cost of the project and split the box office profits, there's no telling how profitable a Masters of the Universe reboot would be. Whereas partnering with Netflix would mean Sony gets paid and Netflix gets more library content.

As streaming continues to become the way so many are regularly accessing content, Sony isn't the only studio considering cashing in online, rather than at the box office. Disney and Warner Bros. are both making content for their new dedicated streaming services, while, as THR points out, indie studio A24 has a deal with Apple to create films for Apple TV+.

Meanwhile, Netflix is already cashing in on the He-Man franchise. She-Ra and the Princess of Power has been airing on the service since 2018, while a new Masters of the Universe animated series is in the works with Kevin Smith serving as executive producer.

It remains to be seen what will happen to the Masters of the Universe reboot movie in the end--or if it'll ever actually happen. If it does, though, it might just be on Netflix.