Kevin Smith has revealed some new details about his upcoming series Master of the Universe: Revelation. Smith, who is heading up the series for Netflix, was the subject of a spotlight panel for this year’s [email protected], which is happening in place of the in-person version of San Diego Comic-Con. During the panel, Smith provided new insight into the highly-anticipated series, which will bring the classic version of He-Man back to the small screen.
As had been previously revealed, the Clerks director once again promises that this new show will serve as a follow-up to the classic series from the 80s. While he wasn’t able to show off any art or footage yet, Kevin Smith praised the animation he’s seen so far. Here’s what he had to say about it.
“It’s not us reinventing it, it’s not us going, ‘Hey man, everything you knew about He-Man is wrong,’ It’s literally as if we’re telling the next story in that series of stories. Our story is very big and connected and broken into chapters. When I took the job, I was like, ‘Man, I hope we do it justice.’ I’ve seen five animatics now, Powerhouse Animation is in control of that. phenomenal. I’ve watched the animatics over and over again. I get blazed and sit there and watch ’em.”
The cast for the new He-Man series is truly stacked. Mark Hamill, Lena Headey, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Henry Rollins, Jason Mewes, Kevin Conroy are all on board, with Chris Wood as He-Man. Speaking further, smith praised the work the cast has put into Masters of the Universe: Revelation. Smith also doubled down on his praise for the animation, saying he would release the animatics as they are.
“The performances that our cast, and we have an incredible cast, that they’re giving, and the Powerhouse Animation, is stunning. If I was in charge, I would release these on Netflix because I bet people would still be like that’s f***** dope. Thank God I’m not in charge, because they’re fully animating this thing. I’ve seen the graphics… I can’t give away too much. I’ve seen a lot. I’ve seen it in animatic form, but I’ve also seen where we are headed, and it is beautiful.”
Kevin Smith also praised the people at Mattel, who he says have been “wonderful” to work with, as well as the brass at Netflix. Specifically, Ted Biasseli, who helped shape the project. As Smith tells it, they were told to treat the material like Shakespeare.
“He said, ‘All I’m asking you to do is tell a story that makes me feel like I felt when I was a kid again. Make me feel invested in these characters. I want to feel scared for them. I want to feel there are stakes.’ He said, ‘Treat this IP…like Shakespeare.’ That was our marching order. Thanks to Ted, we made something beautiful.”
There is no word yet on a release date for the series. Animation work has been able to continue throughout the production shutdown, so the timetable shouldn’t be affected. We’ll be sure to keep you posted as further details are made available. This news comes to us via Comic-Con.org.
