Variety has revealed that Sony Pictures and Escape Artists have hired screenwriter Richard Wenk (The Expendables 2) to rewrite the screenplay for their upcoming live-action He-Man adaptation Masters of the Universe, which is set to be directed by Jon M. Chu (G.I. Joe: Retaliation). In addition to co-writing this year's action ensemble The Expendables 2 with Sylvester Stallone, Wenk's previous credits include the action thrillers 16 Blocks and The Mechanic, while he has also recently penned a big screen adaptation of the 80s TV series The Equalizer, which will see Denzel Washington (Safe House) stepping into the Edward Woodward role of former black ops agent Robert McCall.
Masters of the Universe has been in development for several years now, with Alex Litvak and Mike Finch (Predators) writing the initial draft under the title of Grayskull. The film is of course an adaptation of the Mattel toy line, which spawned the classic 80s cartoon series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, as well as the 1987 feature film starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as his nemesis Skeletor.
