TheQuartering [7/26/2021]
Kevin Smith is definitely hurting from the reviews.
He has the power.
Kevin Smith said he was not expecting the outraged fan response to his new Netflix series, “Masters of the Universe: Revelation.”
“We used the mythology that Mattel created,” Smith, 50, told The Post on the phone from New Jersey, where he’s currently preparing to film “Clerks III.”
“It was kind of an homage to every version of ‘Masters of the Universe.’ So I was like, ‘When this comes out, fans are going to lose their s–t!’ And I was half-right. I’ve watched fandoms get mad at creators before like Rian Johnson on ‘The Last Jedi.’ And heading into this I was like, ‘I’m not going to do that!’ And yet, here we stand. So, you never know.”
The first five episodes of Season 1 (the second half will be released at a later date) is a continuation of the classic “He-Man” cartoon that ran in syndication from 1983-85 (and of the Mattel toy line, launched in 1982). It follows Prince Adam of the planet Eternia (voiced by Chris Wood), who has a secret identity as He-Man, and fights the evil Skeletor (Mark Hamill) while allying with the Captain of the Royal Guard, Teela (Sarah Michelle Gellar).
However, in a twist, Adam is out of commission for most of the first stretch of episodes while the show focuses on Teela as she tries to save the kingdom. The series premiered on Friday and, over the weekend, fans expressed their anger on social media with sentiments such as, “Terribly disappointing. He-Man completely removed from his own show…” And “Why make a ‘He-Man Show without He-Man? Shame!”
“I did not get into this business to upset anybody,” said Smith. “Periodically throughout my career, I’ve done things that have made people unhappy, [the 1999 film] ‘Dogma’ being the perfect example. This time, I think they’re superfans who have their idea of what they were going to see and I guess we didn’t match it, or they don’t seem to process that the story is not over. I’m not a disruptor, I’m not a provocateur. So, it’s a little disconcerting.”