Amazon is reportedly giving She-Ra and the Princesses of Power the live-action treatment. Variety reports that a live-action series based on the popular cartoon show is now in the very early stages at Amazon. DreamWorks Animation will executive produce after recently producing the animated series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power for Netflix. Despite the connection, the live-action series is said to be a new, standalone story with no links to the animated show. This also marks the first live-action portrayal of She-Ra.
A part of the Masters of the Universe franchise, She-Ra was first introduced in the 1985 animated movie He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword. She was later given her own spinoff series, She-Ra: Princess of Power, which produced 93 episodes in the mid-80s. In the cartoon, her real name is Princess Adora, and she is the long lost twin sister of Prince Adam, aka He-Man. The series follows She-Ra as she leads the Great Rebellion to free Etheria from the rule of Hordak and the Evil Horde.
Netflix rebooted the cartoon series in 2018 with She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Depicting Adora as a teenager who can transform into the heroine She-Ra, the new show scrubs all connections to He-Man and is currently unconnected to other Masters of the Universe projects at Netflix. The rebooted series spanned for five seasons, concluding in 2020 with more than 50 episodes. Showrunner Noelle Stevenson has teased that she’d be up for a holiday crossover with Kevin Smith’s Masters of the Universe: Revelation TV show.
“I would love to do a Christmas special crossover,” Stevenson said at NYCC, indicating that nothing of the sort is yet officially in the works. “I’m sure it’s going to be in a really totally dope powerhouse style and ours is going to be in our more candy-colored style. I would love to just bring those two styles together and have them celebrate Christmas and teach the power of love while they open presents. But as of yet, they have not contacted me for that.”
While Smith’s anime series is more geared for adult audiences, Netflix has more animation in store for younger He-Man fans. A He-Man and the Masters of the Universe reboot with CG animation is also on the way to Netflix, presenting an art style more reminiscent of modern animated shows. Meanwhile, a live-action He-Man and the Masters of the Universe remake has been in gestation for years, though it can’t seem to get out of development hell. In 2019, Noah Centineo said he was all set to star as Prince Adam, though he has since exited the project.
“I have an affinity for being in my underwear,” the actor said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, confirming the role in a humorous manner. Things have changed since then, as a rep for Centineo said back in April that he’s “no longer attached to that project.”
Because the live-action She-Ra series is in its infancy, it’s unclear when it might be released. There’s also no word on who might be playing She-Ra on-screen, but until then, fans can start speculating with their own fantasy casting choices. Likewise, no director, screenwriter, or other names have yet been announced. This news comes to us from Variety.