Last fall, Cinematical head honcho Erik Davis referred to screenwriter Justin Marks as "the guy they brought in to f*ck up He-Man." At the time, I wholeheartedly agreed with the boss man. But as of today, I'm changing my mind. If the script review over at Latino Review is to be trusted, Marks has done anything but f*ck up the adaptation of our beloved '80s cartoon series/action figure line. El Mayimbe has read the latest draft of Grayskull: Masters of the Universe, and he's graded the text an A+. And if that's not good enough for you, here's a sweet summation: "GRAYSKULL is LORD OF THE RINGS meets THE MATRIX and a little BATMAN BEGINS thrown in for good measure."

I don't know about you, but that sounds awesome. It certainly sounds better than both the 1987 He-Man adaptation, Masters of the Universe and the 1982 non-adaptation The Beastmaster, which I always thought of as a pre-He-Man He-Man movie (anyone else ever notice that Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time has the same plot as Masters of the Universe?). Of course, neither of those movies would be hard to beat. Warner Bros. and producer Joel Silver could hire a monkey to write a better script.

Unless you're hoping to avoid spoilers, head over to Latino Review to read more praise and plot information for Grayskull (and weep for the omission of Orko). And after getting pumped up about that movie, keep in mind that Marks also wrote or co-wrote the scripts for the upcoming Green Arrow (formerly Supermax: Green Arrow), which IESB.net just reported is looking at a possible summer 2009 release date, Voltron and Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li (for which we shared another Latino Review script review last year).

Luckily somebody over at the production blog for Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li has finally taken the hint and done away with the MySpace-style writing (I'm not sure how much more of that I could have taken). At least now it's way less annoying to catch up on the latest updates for the video game adaptation. First up is a picture of the newest addition to the story, Det. Maya Sunee, a half-Thai detective in Bangkok's Gangland Homicide division (played by Moon Bloodgood). For dedicated SF fans, the name is not going to ring any bells because Maya is a new character created just for the film. But that is not all; fans now have the chance to submit questions to be answered by cast and crew.

Legend focuses on the story of one of SF's favorite characters, Chun Li. It's the classic revenge tale about her search for her mentor's murderers. Smallville's Kristen Kreuk stars as Chun Li and Robin Shou plays her Tai-Chi master. Even though the story has been modernized slightly, some of Street Fighter's main baddies (including Bison, as played by Neil McDonough, Balrog, as played by Michael Clarke Duncan, and Vega still get to make an appearance. And as an added bonus, the site also gives a glimpse at the storyboard for a fight between Chun-Li and Vega.

Andrzej Bartkowiak is still shooting on location in Bangkok, so there is plenty of time for more updates in the coming weeks. Stay tuned. Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li will arrive in theaters in 2009.

I'll admit that I'm not loving the writing style on the blog for Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li . Believe me, it's not easy to wade through all those descriptions of 'sweet footage' and sign-offs like "I'm out like a sonic BOOM" to get to the news (and I'm not the only one who feels this way). But that is why I'm here; I go through it so you don't have to. The site has just posted the first photo of Robin Shou (who despite a long and illustrious film career in Asia is best known here as Liu Kang from Mortal Kombat) as Gen. Shou plays a Kung Fu master who is also the mentor to a scrappy little gal known as Chun-Li (played by Smallville's Kristen Kreuk).

Legend will be doing away with the story set up in the 1994 film, and instead, Chun-Li is getting her very own origin story. Early reports had the action revolving around Li out for revenge for the death of her master, and there was also talk that the script would be pitting her against Hong Kong gangsters. But don't worry, Bison and some of his cronies are still getting some screen time.

Well if nothing else, at least the legendary Chun Li is not going to be played by Jessica Biel. ComingSoon.net is reporting that Smallville's Kristin Kreuk has signed to star in the new Street Fighter film. There has been no official word on which role she is going to play, but the smart money is on her taking over where Ming-Na Wen left off in the 1994 incarnation of Capcom's classic game. News of the film first surfaced back in October, 2006 and back in July there had been an early review of Justin Marks' script. Early word had the plot centering on Li as she searches for those responsible for her father's murder all while taking down the Shadoloo organization. There has been very little mention of any of the other Street Fighter characters making an appearance, so I would expect that not much has changed in Marks original ideas of the film's direction. The flick is expected to start production this spring and will film on location in Thailand in March 2008.

This is Kreuk's third feature film, having already starred in Partition with Neve Campbell and a slightly less dignified role in the teen comedy, Eurotrip. Andrzej Bartkowiak has already signed to direct. For those of you out there worried that Street Fighter will degenerate into another cheese-fest, I can't say I blame you. Of course the worse news is that Bartkowiak's resume highlights include Cradle 2 the Grave and Romeo Must Die, so I can't be the only one thinking that this film might be destined for direct to DVD obscurity.

Jean-Claude Van Damme's blue beret-wearing ways did not appeal to the masses, but this doesn't mean that Capcom won't try again. Over the past year, a new foray into the video game world of Street Fighter has been in the works. The last news came in July, when a script review was out. This time around, the focus will be on tough girl fighter Chun Li and her quest for justice -- she seeks revenge for the murder of her father. Now screenwriter Justin Marks is doing "a polish," and Variety is reporting that the production has tapped its director -- Andrzej Bartkowiak.

The director has some martial arts under his belt with Romeo Must Die, as well as some experience with video game adaptations -- he's the name behind Doom. Bartkowiak is also an experienced cinematographer -- having a hand in everything from Terms of Endearment and Twins to Dante's Peak and Lethal Weapon 4. So he's got the experience, but considering the fact that Doom actually grossed less than the first Street Fighter, which was about a decade earlier, what's the point? Usually when franchises or flicks are freshened, there's some sort of hope behind it. Christopher Nolan made many giddy with excitement when he took over Batman, and he delivered. What on earth can we expect, or hope for, with this project?

We knew it was coming. With the current trend of adapting '80s cartoons/toys into movies, Voltron: Defender of the Universe was a logical property to bring to the big screen, and we'd already heard that producer Mark Gordon (Talk to Me) was developing something based on the series for awhile (and it wasn't Cloverfield). Thanks to the enormous success of Transformers, though, the project now has the interest of 20th Century Fox, whose New Regency wants to put the project on the fast track. As we've previously known, Justin Marks, who is also penning the new Masters of the Universe and Street Fighter movies, is working on a script. So far, the only thing revealed about Marks' plot is that Voltron will be set in post-apocalyptic New York and Texas following an alien attack. To defend the Earth, five "ragtag" survivors get together to pilot different-colored lion-shaped vehicles, which unite to form a giant robot.

Personally, I always preferred the Voltron made up of vehicles, even before the lion-comprised version started reminding me of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. But then, my preference had more to do with the toys than the cartoon, because I really liked toy cars -- especially transforming toy cars. I doubt I ever saw the vehicle Voltron (aka Voltron of the Near Universe) on TV. Maybe if the first Voltron movie does well, they can add the other Voltrons to the sequels (obviously Fox wants a franchise). Would that even make sense, though? Also if this is successful, I'd like to see the following giant robot movies made: Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots: The Movie; a remake of Robot Jox; a new Ultraman; GoBots; Robotech; Gundam. And I'm still missing a lot of other great anime that could be adapted.

We should pray that Fox doesn't simply want to cash in on the Transformers popularity by doing this half-assed and cheap. The effects need to be as good as those in Michael Bay's blockbuster. Also, the thing needs to be as entertaining; there should be a young cast as enjoyable and talented as Shia LaBeouf, not just some hot faces and bodies who would be more appropriate on a soap opera. And I'll just throw this out there: the third act should be less confusing than Transformers. Just because it looks cool and thrills and entertains us, that doesn't mean we have to blindly ignore logic and reason (maybe I'm just an idiot, but I still don't know why Transformers' climax takes place in a metropolis -- and I haven't found anyone to explain it to me, other than "for more damage").

If you're at all familiar with the original 1994 Street Fighter film, then you might consider it a guilty pleasure or as the tragic final credit of the distinguished actor Raul Julia. Either way it's safe to say it was no masterpiece. Back in October, Variety had reported that Hyde Park Entertainment was putting together a remake with Justin Marks (Voltron) on board to pen the script. Now, Latino Review has a script review for the 114 page treatment. This time around, Marks has decided to put the focus of the story on Chun -Li. The plot follows Li in her search for revenge for the murder of her father. Other characters mentioned in the review were head baddie Bison, Balrog, and Vega -- but none of the other Street Fighter characters were included, so it seems that it's going to be a one-woman show.

There hasn't been much to say about the production since some strange casting rumors had surfaced that Jessica Biel was being considered for the lead. But despite her similarities when it comes to thigh muscularity, she is a bizarre choice for the part. Plus, I doubt there is a shortage of Asian actresses who could tackle the part. If Latino Review's source can be trusted, the film promises to be a vast improvement over the Jean-Claude Van Damme cheese-fest, with plenty of hard-core Hong Kong style action. Now, if Hyde Park and Capcom can only figure out their casting problems, they might be on to something.

It looks like AICN was right on the money. Almost a week ago, Erik Davis alerted us to the website's claims that Joel Silver would be producing the long-in-development-hell feature adaptation of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, with relative newcomer (and upcoming Voltron writer) Justin Marks churning out a script. Variety has now confirmed it, saying that the producer is working with Mattel to get the adaptation off the ground -- they have to approve an outline for the film to go ahead. So far, the plan is the typical battle of good -vs- evil, and it will be shown with 300-type visual effects.

When other girls were watching Strawberry Shortcake in the 80's, I was watching Prince Adam flounce around and call the power of Greyskull, so I'm a fan -- one who is not so sure about this whole idea unless they knock it out of the ballpark. The most recent casting rumors attached Brad Pitt to the role, which would probably make me run for the hills -- not because it's him, but because he's just not He-Man. Then again, there's not many choices out there. Where, oh where have all the action beefcakes gone? So far, I'm with jenk that Jason Lewis is the best bet -- he's less beefy, but definitely has the right look.

But what about the rest of them? Man-At-Arms, Teela and Skeletor? I've sat here for the last ten minutes trying to think up people. I just know there is someone perfect out there for Man-At-Arms, but the best I can come up with is Bill Murray if he got athletic, or Bruce Willis. As for Teela, the only one that seems close enough is Alicia Witt, but I'm not sure that she'd don the outfit and fight skeletal bad guys. Speaking of which -- the only one I'm sure on is Skeletor. Get some guy to run around in the suit, and have it voiced by Jackson Publick (voice of The Monarch and creator of The Venture Bros.). Do you have some better suggestions?

Let this be an inspiration to all you aspiring screenwriters out there. 22 year-old newcomer Justin Marks has been selected by writer/director/producer David Goyer to write the screenplay for Goyer's proposed Green Arrow movie, Super Max. (Erik brought you news of the project here and here). Marks has never had a feature film produced before, but has recently been linked to Voltron. "I love finding new people out of nowhere. I love working with young talent, whether it be actors or writers," says Goyer. The script will center on DC Comics hero Green Arrow, who is wrongly placed in a maximum security prison for supervillains, including villains he previously put there. So now he doesn't only have to worry about taking showers and getting stabbed with toothbrushes, he's got laser-eyes and world domination schemes to contend with.

Goyer is probably best known for writing Batman Begins, and he also did some work on the upcoming sequel, The Dark Knight (he's not saying whether Two-Face will be one of the villains). Goyer does have some non-superhero projects in the works as well. He co-wrote the script for Doug Liman's upcoming Jumper, which will star Hayden Christensen and Samuel L. Jackson. He is overseeing the script for Here, There Be Dragons, an adaptation of James A. Owens' book, which imagines authors J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S Lewis, and Charles Williams taking a journey together. He is also working on a remake of David Cronenberg's mind-blowing (literally!) horror classic Scanners, which he is considering directing, as he did the "teen supernatural thriller" The Invisible, which will be in theaters next Friday.