1. Edmund L. Andrews, “Toy-Based TV Shows Win Ruling” (New York Times, November 9, 1990).
1. Jay Lemke, Critical Analysis Across Media: Games, Franchises, and the New Cultural Order (First International Conference on CDA, 2004), p. 3.
2. Fifty Shades of Grey famously began its life as fan fiction, with author E.L. James writing about the steamy relationship of the characters Edward Cullen and Bella Swan from the young adult novel and film Twilight. Although fan fiction is a beloved and prolific aspect of media franchise fandom, it will not be touched upon in this book. There’s just far too much of it.
3. Edward Jay Epstein, The Midas Formula: How to Create a Billion-Dollar Movie Franchise (Slate.com, 2005).
4. Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, 3d ed. (Novato, CA: New World Library, 2008), p. 23. Originally published 1949.
5. “This movie is a brain-bubble symptom, a 107-minute Technicolor aneurysm; it is an extended, incoherent Tourette’s-style yelping of design-ideas, soundtrack-styles, FX flourishes, rewrites and mismatched performances.” Peter Bradshaw, review of Wild Wild West, The Guardian (August 13, 1999).
6. “Tri-Star originally planned two sequels to Godzilla (1998), but decided against the idea when the film turned out to be a critical and commercial disaster.” Robert Greenberger, Meet Godzilla (The Rossen Publishing Group, 2004), p. 36.
7. The Golden Raspberry Awards, or “Razzies,” are a set of annual awards that works like the Bizarro Oscars: they give out awards for the year’s Worst Movie, Worst Actress, and so on. They’re by no means a definitive example of what’s bad, but they’re typically fairly on point. In a book talking about Cannon Films, the Razzies will come up a few times.
8. Jake Rossen, Superman Vs. Hollywood: How Fiendish Producers, Devious Directors, and Warring Writers Grounded an American Icon (Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2008), p. 1.
9. Jake Rossen, Superman Vs. Hollywood: How Fiendish Producers, Devious Directors, and Warring Writers Grounded an American Icon (Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2008), p. 3.
10. The history of Superman and the phone booth is best explained in an essay on the Superman Homepage. Steve Younis, Superman and the Phone Booth (http://www.supermanhomepage.com/other/other.php?topic=phonebooth).
11. Gregg Kilday, “Paramount, Hasbro Creating Movie Universe Around G.I. Joe, Four Other Brands (Exclusive)” (Hollywood Reporter, December 15, 2015).
12. Brett Lang, “How Universal Plans to Bring Its Monster Movies Back to Life (Exclusive)” (Variety, November 17, 2015).
13. Case in point is Young Justice, a well-loved animated series featuring teenage DC heroes like Robin, Superboy, and Speedy. It aired on Cartoon Network between 2010 and 2013 before it was dropped after the conclusion of its second season, leaving dangling plot threads and many unhappy fans behind. When asked about the cancellation on Twitter in October of 2015, the show’s producer, Greg Weisman (@Greg_Weisman), said it came about due to “lack of toy sales, which is where the money for our budget came from.” Ratings were high and critical reception was all but glowing, but Young Justice died from a lack of tie-in success.
14. “Reason Interview with Mark S. Fowler,” Reason, November 1, 1981.
1. Roger Sweet and David Wecker, Mastering the Universe: He-Man and the Rise and Fall of a Billion-Dollar Idea (Cincinnati: Emmis Books, 2005), p. 77.
2. Tim and Steve Seeley, The Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (Milwaukee, OR: Dark Horse Books, 2015), p. 9.
3. Roger Sweet and David Wecker, Mastering the Universe: He-Man and the Rise and Fall of a Billion-Dollar Idea (Cincinnati: Emmis Books, 2005), p. 80.
4. Roger Sweet and David Wecker, Mastering the Universe: He-Man and the Rise and Fall of a Billion-Dollar Idea (Cincinnati: Emmis Books, 2005), p. 86.
5. Interview with Corey Landis, February 4, 2016.
6. “In a fit of monumental stupidity, I threw away a manila envelope chock full of documents, illustrations, and other information regarding He-Man’s creation.” Roger Sweet and David Wecker, Mastering the Universe: He-Man and the Rise and Fall of a Billion-Dollar Idea (Cincinnati: Emmis Books, 2005), p. 201.
7. This information was obtained from the Battle Ram fansite. “Zodac—Cosmic Enforcer (1982)” (https://battleram.wordpress.com/2016/02/15/zodac-cosmic-enforcer-1982/, February 15, 2016).
8. Roger Sweet and David Wecker, Mastering the Universe: He-Man and the Rise and Fall of a Billion-Dollar Idea (Cincinnati: Emmis Books, 2005), p. 116.
9. Matthew Chernov, 10 Things We Learned from Mark Taylor, the Designer of He-Man (http://www.therobotsvoice.com/2015/11/man-masters-universe-mark-taylor-mattel-toy-masters.php, November 5, 2015).
10. Interview with Gary Cohn, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Minicomic Collection (Milwaukee, OR: Dark Horse Books, 2015), p. 175.
11. Interview with Mark Texeira, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Minicomic Collection (Milwaukee, OR: Dark Horse Books, 2015), p. 108.
12. Interview with Gary Cohn, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Minicomic Collection (Milwaukee, OR: Dark Horse Books, 2015), p. 177.
13. Interview with Michael Halperin, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Minicomic Collection (Milwaukee, OR: Dark Horse Books, 2015), p. 269.
14. The court’s specifics and quotes for this section were taken from an essay on a Robert E. Howard fan site. Paul Herman, “Copyrightable Conan?” (http://www.robert-e-howard.org/AnotherThought2.html, September 2001).
15. Paul Herman, “Copyrightable Conan?” (http://www.robert-e-howard.org/AnotherThought2.html, September 2001).
16. Roger Sweet and David Wecker, Mastering the Universe: He-Man and the Rise and Fall of a Billion-Dollar Idea (Cincinnati: Emmis Books, 2005), p. 138.
1. Lou Scheimer with Andy Mangels, Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation, 2d ed. (Raleigh, NC: TwoMorrows Publishing, 2015), p. 45.
2. Lou Scheimer with Andy Mangels, Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation, 2d ed. (Raleigh, NC: TwoMorrows Publishing, 2015), p. 62.
3. “The Man with the Golden Ear” was an industry nickname for Don Kirshner. It was also the title of a 2012 biography written by Rich Podolsky.
4. In 1969, a gold record indicated over one million units sold. The threshold was later halved.
5. Dick Kleiner, “‘Trek’ Tracks Adults” (Sumter Daily Item, July 21, 1973).
6. Lou Scheimer with Andy Mangels, Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation, 2d ed. (Raleigh, NC: TwoMorrows Publishing, 2015), p. 199.
7. Roger Sweet and David Wecker, Mastering the Universe: He-Man and the Rise and Fall of a Billion-Dollar Idea (Cincinnati: Emmis Books, 2005), p. 123.
8. Tim and Steve Seeley, The Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (Milwaukee, OR: Dark Horse Books, 2015), p. 120.
9. Charles Solomon, “Syndication Threat: Saturday Kidvid on the Way Out?” (Los Angeles Times, November 15, 1986).
10. Sydney Shaw, “A Children’s Television Watchdog Group Filed a Complaint Tuesday…” (Archived on http://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/10/11/A-childrens-televison-watchdog-group-filed-a-complaint-Tuesday/9006434692800/, October 11, 1983).
11. The transcript from this episode has not been archived online. This quote from taken from Scheimer’s book. Lou Scheimer with Andy Mangels, Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation, 2d ed. (Raleigh, NC: TwoMorrows Publishing, 2015), p. 206.
12. Peter J. Boyer, “Toy-Based TV: Effects on Children Debated” (New York Times, February 3, 1986).
13. Peter J. Boyer, “Toy-Based TV: Effects on Children Debated” (New York Times, February 3, 1986).
14. Jane A. Welch, “‘He-Man’ is a Wimp Master” (Washington Post, April 21, 1985).
15. The quotes used for this section are logged on the He-Man.org website. “J. Michael Straczynski: Interview by Various Usenet Users—1995” (http://old.he-man.org/cartoon/cmotu-pop/interview-straczynski.shtml).
16. Lou Scheimer with Andy Mangels, Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation, 2d ed. (Raleigh, NC: TwoMorrows Publishing, 2015), p. 230.
17. Lou Scheimer with Andy Mangels, Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation, 2d ed. (Raleigh, NC: TwoMorrows Publishing, 2015), p. 204.
1. Dolph Lundgren, Train Like An Action Hero (New York: Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., 2014), p. 12.
2. Dolph Lundgren, Train Like An Action Hero (New York: Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., 2014), p. 13.
3. Stallone has told this story a few times, including in a Q&A with the website Ain’t It Cool News before the debut of Rocky Balboa (2006): “I saw Dolph Lundgren pick up Carl and heave him three feet into the corner when I was directing the scene between them; rather than retaliate, Carl got out of the ring and said something ferocious like, ‘I’m calling my agent…. I quit!’“ (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/30932, December 16, 2006).
4. “Stallone Answers December 9th & 10th Questions in a Double Round” (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/30932, December 16, 2006).
5. Blake Harris, “How Did This Get Made: Masters of the Universe (An Oral History)” (http://www.slashfilm.com/masters-of-the-universe-oral-history/, October 2, 2015).
6. This quote from Morrison is included in a “Making of” video prepared by the Toy Masters filmmakers. It has been loaded onto YouTube. As of this writing, it is set to be included as a special feature on the DVD release of Toy Masters (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_u1nlmiGU8, April 16, 2012).
7. Mark Goodman, “Crime: Joe and Arville” (Time, December 7, 1970).
8. Andrew Yule, Hollywood A Go-Go: The True Story of the Cannon Film Empire (London: Sphere Books, Ltd., 1987), p. 14.
9. This was discussed in the Mark Hartley documentary, Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films (2014).
10. Paul Talbot, Bronson’s Loose! The Making of the Death Wish Films (Lincoln: iUniverse, 2006), p. 33.
11. Paul Talbot, Bronson’s Loose!: The Making of the Death Wish Films (Lincoln: iUniverse, 2006), p. 77.
12. The studio’s accounting practices are explained in exhaustive depths in Yule’s Hollywood A Go-Go book. I’ve summarized as best I can, but there were an awful lot of figures cited.
13. The makers of Missing in Action went as far as to cite Cameron for the inspiration for their story, thanks to his early draft of First Blood Part II.
14. Ebert’s original review of The Delta Force is logged on his website (http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-delta-force-1986, February 14, 1986).
15. “Review: ‘The Delta Force’” (Variety, December 31, 1985).
16. Nancy Rivera Brooks, “Cannon Group Will Buy Theater Chain” (Los Angeles Times, May 8, 1986).
17. Al Delugach, “Cannon Bid as Major Studio is Cliffhanger: Firm’s Future at Risk in High-Stakes Gamble” (Los Angeles Times, August 24, 1986).
1. Blake Harris, “How Did This Get Made: Masters of the Universe (An Oral History)” (http://www.slashfilm.com/masters-of-the-universe-oral-history/, October 2, 2015).
2. The earliest drafts of the script had Teela using a “somnotron,” an Eternian blaster which put Earthlings, such as the over-eager young police officer, to sleep. She used it so much, the characters began to overhear panicked news reports about an outbreak of sleeping sickness across the Midwestern town. And the two biker’s names were Greaser and Big Daddy. Let those examples show the tone Odell’s early scripts were aiming for.
3. Interview with Gary Goddard, January 6, 2016.
4. Interview with Gary Goddard, January 6, 2016.
5. Blake Harris, “How Did This Get Made: Masters of the Universe (An Oral History)” (http://www.slashfilm.com/masters-of-the-universe-oral-history/, October 2, 2015).
6. Interview with William Stout, December 29, 2015.
7. Goddard’s letter explained the Jack Kirby influence and his desire to make the film a “motion picture comic book.” It begins: “As the director of Masters of the Universe, it was a pleasure to see someone got it. Your comparison of the film to Kirby’s New Gods was not far off” (John Byrne’s Next Men 26, Dark Horse Comics, 1994).
8. Interview with Gary Goddard, January 6, 2016.
9. A photo from this location scouting expedition was posted on MOTUmovie.com with the caption: “In the Cavern in Iceland that was to be part of the Eternia sequence (before the first budget cut).”
10. Goddard has told this story in several interviews over the years. This quote is from my interview with him via email in January of 2016.
11. Tim and Steve Seeley, The Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (Milwaukee, OR: Dark Horse Books, 2015), p. 179.
12. This quote was taken from Goddard’s answers to questions posed by fans on the MOTUmovie site and He-Man.org. James Sawyer, “Q&A with Director Gary Goddard” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/02/q-with-director-gary-goddard.html, February 24, 2010).
13. James Sawyer, “Q&A with Director Gary Goddard” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/02/q-with-director-gary-goddard.html, February 24, 2010).
14. Blake Harris, “How Did This Get Made: Masters of the Universe (An Oral History)” (http://www.slashfilm.com/masters-of-the-universe-oral-history/, October 2, 2015).
15. James Sawyer, “Q&A with Director Gary Goddard” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/02/q-with-director-gary-goddard.html, February 24, 2010).
16. Interview with William Stout, December 29, 2015.
17. Interview with Gary Goddard, January 6, 2016.
18. James Sawyer, “Q&A with Production Designer William Stout” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/06/q-with-production-designer-william.html, June 29, 2010).
19. Interview with Gary Goddard, January 6, 2016.
20. Interview with Gary Goddard, January 6, 2016.
21. Blake Harris, “How Did This Get Made: Masters of the Universe (An Oral History)” (http://www.slashfilm.com/masters-of-the-universe-oral-history/, October 2, 2015).
22. Rick Marshall, “Frank Langella Calls Skeletor ‘One of My Very Favorite Parts” (IFC, http://www.ifc.com/2012/08/frank-langella-skeletor-masters-of-the-universe, August 7, 2012).
23. Blake Harris, “How Did This Get Made: Masters of the Universe (An Oral History)” (http://www.slashfilm.com/masters-of-the-universe-oral-history/, October 2, 2015).
24. John Atkin, “Q&A with Actor Jon Cypher (Man-At-Arms)” (http://www.motumovie.com/2013/10/q-with-actor-jon-cypher-man-at-arms.html, October 13, 2013).
25. Blake Harris, “How Did This Get Made: Masters of the Universe (An Oral History)” (http://www.slashfilm.com/masters-of-the-universe-oral-history/, October 2, 2015).
26. Blake Harris, “How Did This Get Made: Masters of the Universe (An Oral History)” (http://www.slashfilm.com/masters-of-the-universe-oral-history/, October 2, 2015).
27. Goddard has told this story a few times, namely on the DVD commentary and for his interview for Slash Film: “And that next day, she was fantastic. And afterwards I said to Vicky, ‘You’re right. That was her.’ So Vicky gets the accolades for the smarts on that one.” Blake Harris, “How Did This Get Made: Masters of the Universe (An Oral History)” (http://www.slashfilm.com/masters-of-the-universe-oral-history/, October 2, 2015).
28. John Atkins, “Q&A with Actor Robert Towers (Karg)” (http://www.motumovie.com/2013/10/q-with-actor-robert-towers-karg.html, October 12, 2013).
29. Blake Harris, “How Did This Get Made: Masters of the Universe (An Oral History)” (http://www.slashfilm.com/masters-of-the-universe-oral-history/, October 2, 2015).
30. John Atkin, “Q&A with Actor Anthony De Longis (Blade)” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/11/q-with-actor-anthony-de-longis-blade.html, November 18, 2010).
31. John Atkin, “Q&A with Actor Anthony De Longis (Blade)” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/11/q-with-actor-anthony-de-longis-blade.html, November 18, 2010).
32. James Sawyer, “Q&A with Production Designer William Stout” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/06/q-with-production-designer-william.html, June 29, 2010).
33. James Sawyer, “Q&A with Production Designer William Stout” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/06/q-with-production-designer-william.html, June 29, 2010).
34. Interview with William Stout, December 29, 2015.
35. Interview with Gary Goddard, January 6, 2016.
36. Andrew Yule, Hollywood A Go-Go: The True Story of the Cannon Film Empire (London: Sphere Books, Ltd., 1987), p. 212.
1. This quote was pulled from the commentary track Goddard recorded for the original 2001 DVD release of Masters.
2. Goddard also called this out in the film’s commentary. In my interview with him, he cited JRR Tolkien as one of his many influences from an early age: “I was also reading a lot of books—Doc Savage, Tarzan, Prydain Chronicles (The Book of Three), Over Sea Under Stone five book series, Frank Herbert, Tolkien. I was pretty much into sci-fi, and fantasy adventure books” (Interview with Gary Goddard, January 6, 2016).
3. In his Q&A session for the MOTU Movie site, Stout mentioned an odd bit of Masters trivia about this filming location: “The front parking lot of Robby’s Ribs ’n’ Chicken in reality is where Rodney King was beaten years later.” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/06/q-with-production-designer-william.html, June 29, 2010).
4. Metron is also the name of a character from Jack Kirby’s New Gods comics. He is the inventor of “boom tube” technology, which allowed the characters to travel through teleportation. To some, Gwildor is a stand-in for Metron, just as Skeletor stands in for Darkseid. There are enough similarities between this film and the comic that a persistent theory was born: many believe Masters of the Universe began as a New Gods film. This has been roundly rejected by Goddard, Stout, and everyone else involved in its creation.
5. Any deliberate allusions have never been confirmed. Goddard is, however, a big Star Wars fan.
6. DVD commentary, 2001.
7. The first draft of the script called for unnamed town to be placed somewhere in the Midwest. This was amended to match the shooting location in Whittier, California, as evidenced by Skeletor’s crew zooming in on their enormous monitor a few scenes earlier. Though unnamed in the film, supplemental material such as Cannon’s Media Press Kit identifies the town as Colby, California.
8. This quote came from a draft of the script attributed to David Odell, dated December 5, 1985, pp. 60–61.
9. DVD commentary, 2001.
10. The quotes from this section are all from the MOTU Movie site. John Atkin, “Q&A with Richard Szponder (Pigboy)” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/06/q-with-richard-szponder-pigboy.html, June 21, 2010).
11. John Atkin, “Q&A with Actor Anthony De Longis (Blade)” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/11/q-with-actor-anthony-de-longis-blade.html, November 18, 2010).
12. DVD commentary, 2001.
13. This also came from Odell’s script from December 5, 1985, p. 75.
14. John Atkin, “Q&A with Actor Anthony De Longis (Blade)” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/11/q-with-actor-anthony-de-longis-blade.html, November 18, 2010).
15. James Sawyer, “Q&A with Director Gary Goddard” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/02/q-with-director-gary-goddard.html, February 24, 2010).
1. James Sawyer, “Q&A with Director Gary Goddard” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/02/q-with-director-gary-goddard.html, February 24, 2010).
2. James Sawyer, “Q&A with Production Designer William Stout” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/06/q-with-production-designer-william.html, June 29, 2010).
3. Bruce Cook, “‘Masters’ A Lesson in More Thrills for Less” (Los Angeles Daily News, August 13, 1987).
4. Bruce Cook, “‘Masters’ A Lesson in More Thrills for Less” (Los Angeles Daily News, August 13, 1987).
5. “Juggling Mattel’s desires and goals with the fact that Cannon Films was (unbeknown to us working on the movie) months away from going Chapter 11, created a very fluid environment during pre-production and then especially during production.” James Sawyer, “Q&A with Director Gary Goddard” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/02/q-with-director-gary-goddard.html, February 24, 2010).
6. Roger Sweet and David Wecker, Mastering the Universe: He-Man and the Rise and Fall of a Billion-Dollar Idea (Cincinnati: Emmis Books, 2005), p. 142.
7. S.J. Diamond, “Marketing to Children Raises Big Questions” (Los Angeles Times, June 30, 1986).
8. Tim and Steve Seeley, The Art of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (Milwaukee, OR: Dark Horse Books, 2015), p. 61.
9. These figures, like all of the toy sales numbers, come from Roger Sweet’s book.
10. Goddard has told this story in many interviews, but this exact quote came from the “Making Of” video set to be included on the Toy Masters DVD (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_u1nlmiGU8, April 16, 2012).
11. Blake Harris, “How Did This Get Made: Masters of the Universe (An Oral History)” (http://www.slashfilm.com/masters-of-the-universe-oral-history/, October 2, 2015).
12. This also came from the Toy Masters clip (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_u1nlmiGU8, April 16, 2012).
13. Blake Harris, “How Did This Get Made: Masters of the Universe (An Oral History)” (http://www.slashfilm.com/masters-of-the-universe-oral-history/, October 2, 2015).
14. James Sawyer, “Q&A with Director Gary Goddard” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/02/q-with-director-gary-goddard.html, February 24, 2010).
15. Various anecdotes of this were shared in the Electric Boogaloo documentary.
16. Jake Rossen, Superman Vs. Hollywood: How Fiendish Producers, Devious Directors, and Warring Writers Grounded an American Icon (Chicago: Chicago Review Press), p. 159.
17. Jake Rossen, Superman Vs. Hollywood: How Fiendish Producers, Devious Directors, and Warring Writers Grounded an American Icon (Chicago: Chicago Review Press), p. 158.
18. The story in the comic adaptation was based on an earlier draft of Odell’s script, and much of the character designs came from preliminary sketches from Stout and his crew. As such, Blade is much more alien, with yellow skin, and is not able to speak. The main established characters—He-Man, Teela, Man-At-Arms, Skeletor, the Sorceress, and Evil-Lyn—are drawn to look like their action figure or cartoon incarnations. Beastman, for whatever reason, appeared in his redesigned movie form.
19. Toy Masters (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_u1nlmiGU8, April 16, 2012).
20. John Atkin, “Q&A with Actor Anthony De Longis (Blade)” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/11/q-with-actor-anthony-de-longis-blade.html, November 18, 2010).
21. Toy Masters (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_u1nlmiGU8, April 16, 2012).
22. Blake Harris, “How Did This Get Made: Masters of the Universe (An Oral History)” (http://www.slashfilm.com/masters-of-the-universe-oral-history/, October 2, 2015).
23. Toy Masters (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_u1nlmiGU8, April 16, 2012).
24. Interview with Gary Goddard, January 6, 2016.
25. Interview with Gary Goddard, January 6, 2016.
26. Blake Harris, “How Did This Get Made: Masters of the Universe (An Oral History)” (http://www.slashfilm.com/masters-of-the-universe-oral-history/, October 2, 2015).
27. Golan and Globus’s catchphrase was utilized by Jim Whaley, who hosted the Cinema Showcase program on WPBA-TV/ Atlanta, a public access station. It was then used on most of Cannon’s marketing. Neither Whaley or Cannon Films mentioned the fact that two of the three original Star Wars films were released in the 1980s.
28. Blake Harris, “How Did This Get Made: Masters of the Universe (An Oral History)” (http://www.slashfilm.com/masters-of-the-universe-oral-history/, October 2, 2015).
29. Blake Harris, “How Did This Get Made: Masters of the Universe (An Oral History)” (http://www.slashfilm.com/masters-of-the-universe-oral-history/, October 2, 2015).
30. “Review: ‘Masters of the Universe’” (Variety, December 31, 1986).
31. Walter Goodman, “Movie Review: ‘Masters of the Universe’” (New York Times, August 8, 1987).
32. Rita Kempley, Masters of the Universe Review (Washington Post, August 10, 1987).
33. Johanna Steinmetz, “Surprise! ‘Masters’ Isn’t Bad” (Chicago Tribune, August 12, 1987).
34. Blake Harris, “How Did This Get Made: Masters of the Universe (An Oral History)” (http://www.slashfilm.com/masters-of-the-universe-oral-history/, October 2, 2015).
1. James Sawyer, “Q&A with Director Gary Goddard” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/02/q-with-director-gary-goddard.html, February 24, 2010).
2. James Sawyer, “Q&A with Director Gary Goddard” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/02/q-with-director-gary-goddard.html, February 24, 2010).
3. Leonard Klady, “Cinefile—Outtakes:The Sequel” (Los Angeles Times, January 24, 1988)
4. Michael A. Hiltzik, “Untangling the Web” (Los Angeles Times, March 24, 2002).
5. The origins of Cyborg have become legendary in the B-Movie and filmmaking communities. Pyun has told the story many times, but this quote comes from an interview to a Spanish language magazine, which was also logged on dolph-ultimate.com. Interviewer: Nicanor Loreti (La Cosa Fantastico 113, July 2005).
6. James Sawyer, “Q&A with Director Gary Goddard” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/02/q-with-director-gary-goddard.html, February 24, 2010).
7. This number is dubious at best. In Cannon Film’s heyday, they had been infamous for exaggerating their movie costs. A more expensive picture, they apparently thought, meant it would seem more credible to audiences and critics. By this point in Cannon’s history, though, they had also begun to tilt the other way. As the company’s money problems became more public, they would deny spending so much money to make a movie that flopped. All the talk over the years about the build-up to the studio’s Masters 2 and Spider-Man movies always list this $2 million price tag, but it’s best to take it with a grain of salt.
8. Mattel’s quick turnaround on the He-Man property, along with the behind-the-scenes shuffling of executives, is chronicled in Roger Sweet’s book.
9. Roger Sweet and David Wecker, Mastering the Universe: He-Man and the Rise and Fall of a Billion-Dollar Idea (Cincinnati: Emmis Books, 2005), p. 177.
10. This quote, and most of the information in this section, is from Scheimer’s He-Ro series bible, which laid out the opening episode(s) and the characters. Years after the series failed to come together, the series bible was turned over to the He-Man.org website where it has been posted in its entirety (http://old.he-man.org/cartoon/exclusivefeatures/exclusive-heroseriesbible-intro.shtml).
11. Lou Scheimer with Andy Mangels, Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation, 2d ed. (Raleigh, NC: TwoMorrows Publishing, 2015), p. 267.
1. Johanna Steinmetz, “Surprise! ‘Masters’ Isn’t Bad” (Chicago Tribune, August 12, 1987).
2. This information comes from an interview Lundgren gave to a French language magazine. The relevant section has been translated and logged on the dolph-ultimate.com fansite: “I’d like to forget. On the other hand, it helped me in my career and taught me a lot. Masters of the Universe was number one in rental videos in England but I didn’t get much money in the story. Anyway, what counts it what we want to become” (Impact, issue 20, April 1989).
3. Umberto Eco, “Casablanca: Cult Movies and Intertextual Collage,” Travels in Hyperreality (English translation copyright: Orlando: Harcourt, 1986), p. 198.
4. James Sawyer, “Q&A with Director Gary Goddard” (http://www.motumovie.com/2010/02/q-with-director-gary-goddard.html, February 24, 2010).
5. Lou Scheimer with Andy Mangels, Lou Scheimer: Creating the Filmation Generation, 2d ed. (Raleigh, NC: TwoMorrows Publishing, Second edition, 2015), p. 228.
6. Interview with Tim Seeley, January 25, 2016.
7. Interview with Corey Landis, February 4, 2016.
8. Anthony Breznican, “Langella is Perfectly Clear: Nixon Role Proves Haunting” (USA Today, December 3, 2008).
9. “But the producers of ‘Transformers,’ Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Ian Bryce, say they have spent only $150 million on ‘Transformers,’ and they reckon they got a bargain” (Bob Tourtellotte, “‘Transformers’ Films Yields Big Bang on Fewer Bucks” [http://www.reuters.com/article/us-transformers-idUSN2943327020070702, July 1, 2007]).
1. Interview with Tim Seeley, January 25, 2016.
2. Interview with Gary Goddard, January 6, 2016.
3. Interview with Gary Goddard, January 6, 2016.
4. Interview with Gary Goddard, January 6, 2016.
5. Paul Richter, “The Mogul Behind Pathe’s Bid” (LA Times, March 8, 1990).
6. This is considered one of the most defining stories of Golan and Globus as filmmakers. It is told wonderfully in the Electric Boogalo documentary.
7. Rob Wells, “Financier Settles Fraud Charges with SEC” (Associated Press, January 5, 1996).
8. Interview with William Stout, December 29, 2015.
9. Interview with William Stout, December 29, 2015.
10. This was another interview logged on dolph-ultimate.com (Comics Scene 9, Summer 1989).
11. “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe—Lundgren on He-Man Reboot” (IGN, http://www.ign.com/videos/2012/08/03/dolph-lundgren-on-he-man-reboot, August 3, 2012).
12. Gerald Couzens, “Burglars Tie Up Woman—But Flee the House When They Realize She’s Married to Action Hero Dolph Lundgren” (Daily Mail, May 5, 2009).
13. Anthony Breznican, “Langella is Perfectly Clear: Nixon Role Proves Haunting” (USA Today, December 3, 2008).
14. Rick Marshall, “Frank Langella Calls Skeletor ‘One of My Very Favorite Parts’” (IFC, http://www.ifc.com/2012/08/frank-langella-skeletor-masters-of-the-universe, August 7, 2012).
15. Interview with Corey Landis, February 4, 2016.
16. Interview with Tim Seeley, January 25, 2016.
17. Interview with William Stout, December 29, 2015.