We’ve known for some time now that Paramount has been trying to put together a cinematic universe based around Hasbro properties, anchored by likely rebooted versions of Transformers and G.I. Joe, but the process has been slow going — until now, that is.
Following the recent announcement regarding a ROM the Space Knight movie, Paramount has now revealed that they’ve tapped director F. Gary Gray, who recently helmed the blockbusters The Fate of the Furious and Straight Outta Compton, to develop and direct a film franchise based on M.A.S.K., according to Deadline. M.A.S.K., as you surely remember, was a Kenner toy line in the ’80s that — like many ’80s toy lines — also had cartoon and comic book spinoffs. M.A.S.K. stands for Mobile Armored Strike Kommand, and its heroes make up a task force that utilizes technologically-advanced vehicles to oppose the terrorist group V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem). In other words, it’s the most ’80s thing ever.
So how does Paramount expect to adapt this very dated property for modern audiences? By coming up with a “contemporary subculture movie with a youth empowerment angle” — whatever that means. But according to Deadline, it’s specifically this vintage quality of M.A.S.K. that attracted Gray to the project, as he believes it can be molded to have something to say to today’s generation.
With wheels now in motion on M.A.S.K. and ROM, along with the constant development in the Transformers franchise, it seems like this Hasbro cinematic universe is really going to be a thing. Now let’s just hope it has better luck than the Dark Universe did.
