WIRE Buzz: Masters of the Universe commands 2021 debut, Jacob's Ladder remake steps up

Today’s WIRE Buzz is two parts nostalgia, one part hyper-modern meme, mixed well and served ice-cold with a heaping helping of fandom on the side. He-Man, Jacob’s Ladder, and a terrifying viral challenge all have news from the film world.

First up, the Masters of the Universe remake.

After casting Noah Centineo as Prince Adam in the film, the ‘80s throwback — which is being directed by Adam and Aaron Nee — has announced a release date, according to Variety: March 5, 2021. Created from a screenplay by the directors and writers Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, Masters of the Universe will wield the power of Grayskull in order to fight evil and bring this franchise back from the campy edge of fans’ memories.

With this future date, it looks like the Sony film will be distancing itself from too many competitors, or at least competitors that have the strength of a Disney franchise behind them.

No details have been released about the film’s plot, but it’s almost a certainty that Centineo will be shirtless at some point.

Next, Deadline reports that the long-gestating Jacob’s Ladder remake is finally moving forward. The twisty 1990 horror film about the trauma of war and the fragility of the human mind is being updated from Vietnam to Afghanistan by director David M. Rosenthal — and Vertical Entertainment is bringing it stateside.

Starring Michael Ealy, Jesse Williams, Nicole Beharie, and Karla Souza, the new Jacob’s Ladder will start screening in July and go into a wide release this August. In a plot change, this time around Jacob’s brother has been killed in a Middle Eastern conflict while Jacob works as a surgeon in a VA hospital. But wait, is his brother actually alive? This question threatens to tear apart his reality as experimental drugs, hallucinations, and all the psychological elements of the original film inflict horrors upon both the protagonist and audiences.

Look for a new version of a twisty favorite late this summer.

Finally, that terrifying Momo meme is actually getting its own mo-movie.

According to Deadline, the Momo Challenge-based film Getaway has cast its group of tormented teens. Stef Beaton, Alex Brown, Georgie Storm Waite, Rianne Senining, and Charlotte Spencer will be directed by Lilton Stewart III in the film focused on the prank-esque hoax of MOMO. A creepy, thin ghost woman that drives victims to madness over social media, MOMO becomes more and more believable as the kids start vanishing over a single day.

Somewhere between The Slender Man and The Ring, Getaway does not yet have any production date set.