Bogus Brit Rumor of the Day: Brad Pitt to Play He-Man?

I'm sorry, but you have to hand it to them Brits for taking a fairly bland rumor and adding to it a whole lot of pizazz. According to The Sun Online (which, right there, means take everything I'm about to say with a ginormous grain of salt), Legendary Pictures (the folks behind Batman Begins, Superman Returns and 300, among others) has pulled the big-screen version of He-Man out of development hell. Not only that, but one inside source claims none other than Brad Pitt is front and center on Legendary's wish list. Says the source, "They are very keen on Brad for the role. He'll have to bulk up though -- he's very fit but not to He-Man proportions." Now if that doesn't sound like a quote that was made up on the spot, then perhaps I can convince you that Cinematical's own Erik Davis is also up for the role.

If Pitt decides not to sign on (that would be a shocker), then The Sun claims Legendary might go after a more realistic target -- that being King Leonidas himself, Gerard Butler. Him, I could kind of see. Pitt, on the other hand, is laughable. Back when Fox 2000 was in charge of the property (they have since ditched the dude and handed him back to Mattel), the potential casting list included names like Paul Walker, Triple H and The Rock. If this story is true, and Legendary really is interested in He-Man, then perhaps that list has been chucked in favor of some names that are guaranteed to bring in the dough. No word on whether screenwriter Adam Rifkin is still attached (last month he claimed the film was still going to be made), but I'm fairly certain John Woo no longer wants anything to do with the hunky blonde superhero. However, I wouldn't be surprised if we hear Zack Snyder's name thrown in the hat. Would you dig He-Man if it went the 300 route? Shooting everything in front of a blue/green screen would definitely cut down the budget and probably make the studio feel more secure in giving the go-ahead.

[via Moviehole]