Thor Writer to Take on Masters of the Universe

The classic cartoon and toy line Masters of the Universe may be making a return to the big screen. The project has been in development at Sony for many years, but the studio have now hired Thor writer Christopher Yost to work on a new script, Variety reports.

Yost wrote Marvel's hit Thor: The Dark World and is working on its sequel, Thor: Ragnorak, which is due for release in July 2017. His success with large-scale sci-fi fantasy has made him an obvious choice to work on a new film version of the fondly remembered '80s adventure series.

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.