“Masters of the Universe” Poster
Travis Knight, the director of 2018’s Bumblebee, will soon be unleashing Masters of the Universe, a live-action adaptation of the franchise created by Mattel.
In the film, a young man on Earth discovers a fabulous secret legacy as the prince of an alien planet, and must recover a magic sword and return home to protect his kingdom.
Masters of the Universe is written by Chris Butler (Kubo and the Two Strings), Aaron and Eric Nee (Band of Robbers), and Dave Callaham (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings).
The film stars Nicholas Galitzine (Red, White & Royal Blue) as He-Man; Idris Elba (A House of Dynamite) as Man-At-Arms; Jared Leto (Tron: Ares) as Skeletor; Alison Brie (Together) as Evil-Lyn; Camila Mendes (Riverdale) as Teela.
Additional cast includes James Purefoy (Solomon Kane) as King Randor; Charlotte Riley (London Has Fallen) as Queen Marlena; Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (Boyka: Undisputed IV) as Goat Man; Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (Captain America: Brave New World) as Fisto; Kojo Attah (Murder at the Embassy) as Tri-Klops; Sam C. Wilson (Deep Cover) as Trap Jaw; James Wilkinson as Mekaneck; and Jon Xue Zhang (Lady Bloodfight) as Ram-Man.
The Masters of the Universe franchise – consisting of the toy line and the cartoon series – exploded in the 1980’s. Despite its decreasing popularity during the years that followed, cartoon reboots and new toy lines managed to keep the franchise afloat.
Back in 1987, Cannon Films produced a live-action Masters of the Universe, which was directed by Gary Goddard (Poseidon’s Fury: Escape from the Lost City) and starred Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella, Courteney Cox and Meg Foster.
Amazon MGM Studios is releasing on June 5, 2026. Watch the Full Trailer below (followed by the Trailer to the 1987 film):
Better than the Cannon film, but it feels like a bad Harryhausen knockoff.
You can’t say it’s better without having seen it. Although Jared Leto being part of this film is already a big no-no.
At least he’s covered up. =)