Director Daniel Benedict and his production team at Red Serial Films work to bring stories to life in unique and exciting ways. They released a short “Masters of the Universe” fan film to much acclaim in 2014, and after years of audience requests the company is currently producing a full-length sequel feature titled “Fall of Grayskull: Rise of the Horde.”
Benedict, an Owensboro native, is a director, writer, filmmaker, artist, musician, and action figure designer. Since first picking up his aunt’s oversized VHS camcorder in 1994 and making his own homemade “Friday the 13th” sequel, he has never stopped creating movies and videos of all kinds. Benedict has created eight short films and five features, written and recorded 10 albums of original songs, filmed a dozen music videos, and produced countless television and radio commercials, documentaries, and TV/internet programming.
Benedict, who works full-time at local agency Tanner+West, said Red Serial Films is a group of creative and versatile filmmakers whose passion is film.
“We live to tell stories that captivate, engage, and entertain,” he said.
In 2014, Red Serial filmed their first “Fall of Grayskull” short fan film. They were able to initially premiere the film at the Grayskull Convention in Germany, followed by a U.S. premiere at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood and screenings across the country.
“It was received well, despite the limited budget,” Benedict said. “We had such an outpouring of support from ‘He-Man’ fans and the ‘MOTU’ community. I will always cherish that time. It resulted in so many lifelong friendships.
He said fans have asked him over the last decade when he was going to make a sequel.
Now his reply is: “How about now?”
“We’ve definitely become better filmmakers over the past 10 years, and can’t wait to put all we’ve learned to great use,” Benedict said.
Red Serial has already put together a 2.5-minute-long concept trailer for “Fall of Grayskull: Rise of the Horde” to build anticipation for the full-length film they hope to develop.
“We’ve had so much fun putting this trailer and campaign together and cannot wait to march ahead full force with the full production,” Benedict said. “As lifelong fans of ‘Masters of the Universe’ and ‘Princess of Power,’ our goal is to bring the worlds of Eternia and Etheria, their heroes and villains, the monsters, machines, and magic to life like never before.”
In the end credits of the short film, Red Serial teased of Hordak preparing to invade Eternia. That’s where this movie will pick up. Prince Adam/He-Man has to deal with taking over as king after the death of his father, the inner struggle of being forced to kill Skeletor in the previous film, and trying to protect Eternia from this new invading army. Like He-Man, Teela is also struggling with the loss of a parent and attempting to take on her new role as guardian of Grayskull. Viewers will also meet Adora, who is contemplating the morality of her life in the Horde and discovering her destiny of becoming She-Ra.
“This time around, our goal is to make a full feature-length film and minimize the use of green screen, which was 99% of part one,” Benedict said. “This time we hope to have a much larger budget to make a much more epic and amazing adventure with real sets, real-world locations, a huge cast of characters, and the best costumes, effects, and technology available.”
After a “dark and serious” tone in the short film, Benedict also noted that they want the sequel to not feel as emotionally heavy.
“The tone of this will be more lighthearted, heartwarming, adventurous, and fun than the previous film,” he said. “We want to steer away from the dark, cynical, and crass nature of so many movies and shows these days.”
Rob and Shawn Lamb, who now live in Owensboro, are writing the script for Fall of Grayskull: Rise of the Horde. Rob is a former Filmation storyboard artist and writer, including writing for He-Man and She-Ra. Shawn Lamb is an award-winning screenwriter and author of fantasy books.
Rob said, “I am so excited about this new project and the opportunity to write for He-Man and She-Ra once more,” while Shawn added, “I am so looking forward to collaborating with my husband on this new project.”
Much of the cast from the short film is returning for the sequel, while some new faces will also be featured this time around.
“In the first film, we only had a handful of ‘MOTU’ characters,” Benedict said. “This time, we’ve definitely beefed up the ranks with characters from both ‘Masters of the Universe’ and ‘Princess of Power.’”
Cast members include Brian Cage, Mercedez Varble, Tuesday Knight, Mat O’Toole, Jennifer Legg, Nate Underwood, Lindsey Menche, Houston Coons, Nick Dubuisson, Juliette Sureau, Rebekah McDonald, John McDonald, Katelynn Newberry, Colin Mathura-Jeffree, Ellie Parker, Louisa Torres, Johnny Bilson, Jessica Spice, Jason Crowe, Makayla Brown, and Kyle Kraven.
Red Serial has launched a Kickstarter campaign with a target goal of raising $250,000.
“This Kickstarter will enable us to pay taxes/fees, create and ship all rewards, and make the film we have envisioned without compromising quality,” Benedict said. “The money raised in this campaign will go towards all areas of making ‘FOG2:ROTH.’”
