Hoping to follow in the lucrative, high-heeled footsteps of “Barbie,” another of Mattel’s toybox champs is gearing up for an assault on Hollywood. The original “Masters of the Universe” (MOTU) comic book was a smash hit in the ’80s, and now – many animated reboots and a terrible 1987 movie later – He-Man and the gang are returning to the big screen this summer.
Despite the franchise’s decades-spanning success, the story’s capital, Eternia, is a seriously weird place. The planet is the setting for an unlikely mix of sci-fi, magic and fantasy, populated by a bizarre assortment of characters whose origins were usually determined by the whims of toy manufacturers – there’s really no other way to explain Snuff spout. They also had a habit of designing their heroes and villains with the gym-ready physique of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
When is the ‘Masters of the Universe’ release date?
Amazon MGM Studios (in the US and Canada) and Sony Pictures Entertainment (elsewhere) are holding their magic swords high for a June 5, 2026 release date in theaters worldwide.
While we’ve yet to get confirmation on which streaming platforms Masters of the Universe will land on after its theatrical release, the fact that it’s an Amazon MGM Studios release in the US suggests that it will make its way to Prime Video at some point.
What is the plot of ‘Masters of the Universe’?
There have been many iterations of the franchise since Filmation’s original “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe” cartoon series debuted in 1983 – a thinly veiled commercial for Mattel’s existing “MOTU” toy line. But whether aimed at children or older audiences nostalgic for their youth (like Netflix’s follow-up series “Revelation”), most versions have had some key elements in common.
The setting is Eternia, a planet at the center of the universe where science and magic coexist. The protector of this world is Prince Adam, the heir to the Eternal Throne, who lights up as a muscle-bound superhero named He-Man whenever he waves his magical sword in the air and shouts, “By the power of Grayskull.” It’s a good job he’s there, too, because the skull-wielding wizard Skeletor is usually hatching a nasty scheme to take over the planet.
Other important things to know? He-Man’s base of operations is Castle Grayskull, the center of Eternia’s magic, and the obsession of Skeletor, who really wants to move from his own Snake Mountain lair. He-Man is aided by a silly assortment of toy-friendly sidekicks known as the Heroic Warriors; Skeletor’s stooges is the similarly imaginative title of The Evil Warriors.
Like Masters of the Universe’s previous foray into live-action territory — a 1987 film starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man that turned out to be both a critical and commercial disaster — part of the new film will be set on Earth. The crucial difference this time around is that, despite being completely absent from the ’87 adaptation, Prince Adam will has a role to play.
To protect him from the forces of evil, young Adam has been kept hidden on Earth (his mother’s home planet). But when the exiled prince tracks down a certain magical sword, fabulous secret powers will inevitably be revealed to him – if Skeletor has any sense, he should already be shaking to the bone.
Is there a ‘Masters of the Universe’ trailer?
For the benefit of concerned Gen Xers and Millennials, this may not be the He-Man they remember. The first teaser for the trailer went big on ’80s nostalgia, which means big CRT TVs, garish leotards and Technicolor cereal.
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The full trailer followed the next day, on January 22, opening with a scene-setting voiceover from Prince Adam:
“All the things that only exist in legends and bedtime stories? Talking tigers. Spaceships. Magical swords that can make a man as powerful as a god. Where I come from… Those things are real.” (Everyone else thinks his words sound remarkably similar to Rey and Han Solo’s exchange “The Force Awakens” trailers?)
Adam’s human mother, Marlena Glenn, then reveals that she sent him to a place their enemies would never find him (aka Earth), until we are introduced to Adam some 15 years later. He’s wearing a cartoon-faithful pink shirt and working in human resources for an unknown company when he receives a text announcing “I found your sword.”
This seems to be McGuffin which sets him on his journey home to Eternia. In fact, with its “Witness how he became He-Man” messages, the “Masters of the Universe” trailer sets up the film as an origin story for the bloated hero. But more importantly, it reveals how the filmmakers are bringing the comic to live-action, with its tease of Castle Grayskull, Snake Mountain, the Sword, various heroic/evil warriors, the Eternal Capital of Eternos, and — of course — bony menace Skeletor.
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While it’s not entirely cartoon-accurate – purists may bemoan the fact that He-Man’s traditional furry underpants have been replaced by a Roman centurion-style leather skirt – there’s clearly a lot of love for the source material.
“Our mission with this was to be as faithful to the original ’80s animation as we possibly could without it being distracting or silly,” production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas told Empire magazine. “This was a world that needed to be rendered in all its original, crazy Technicolor madness.”
From what we’ve seen so far, they’ve more than delivered on the brief.
Who stars in ‘Masters of the Universe’?
Representing Team Heroic Warriors, we have British actor Nicholas Galitzine (“The Idea of You”, “Mary & George”) donning the famous blonde bob as both Prince Adam and He-Man.
He is joined by Camila Mendes (“Riverdale,” “Upgraded”) as Teela, captain of Eternia’s royal guard; Morena Baccarin (“Serenity“, “Homeland”) as the sorceress, guardian of the secrets of Castle Grayskull; and Idris Elba (MCU, DC , “Star Trek” and the “Fast and Furious” star continues his quest to star in every major franchise in the universe) as inventor and royal advisor Man-at-Arms.
Fans of the original toy line will no doubt also enjoy seeing mechanical Roboto (voiced by “Bridesmaids'” Kristen Wiig), hard-hitting Fisto (Atomic Blonde’s Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson), human rambunctious Ram-Man (stunt performer Jon Xue Zhang), the back-to-nature Moss-Man, Moss-In Adentanecker (stunt performer) and Stephen In Adentanecker (stunt) (newcomer James Wilkinson).
Adam’s parents, King Randor and Queen Marlena, are played by James Purefoy (“Fisherman’s Friends”, “Pennyworth”) and Charlotte Riley (“Peaky Blinders”, “The Peripheral”) respectively.
Don’t be surprised if we also hear news of some big-name voice casting for Adam’s green tiger BFF Cringer (who transforms into the mighty Battle Cat), and — surely he hair to be in the film — soaring comic relief Orko.
In the Evil Warriors corner, Jared Leto (“Suicide Squad”, “Tron: Ares”) will get under the skin of Skeletor, while Alison Brie (“Community”, “Together”) will play Snake Mountain’s second-in-command, the nominative determinist Evil-Lyn.
The villains’ gallery of henchmen includes Goat Man (“Game of Thrones” Mountain Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson), Trap Jaw (“Dodger”s Sam C Wilson), Tri-Klops (“Supacell”s Kojo Attah), Spikor (stunt performer James Apps) and Pig Boy (Arun Bassi).
Who works on “Masters of the Universe” behind the scenes?
Getting to this point has taken even longer than traveling from here to Eternia; Hollywood has been trying its best to get a new “Masters of the Universe” movie off the ground for decades. Most recently, Netflix (currently the streaming home of several He-Man comics) spent a reported $30 million developing a film. “The Lost City’s” Adam and Aaron Nee were lined up to write and direct, until the streamer abandoned the project in the summer of 2023. The film found its way to Amazon a few months later.
The man now charged with directing the eternal adventure is Travis Knight. Knight has some experience transferring ’80s toy franchises to the big screen, having helped “Transformers” spin-off “Bumblebee”. He’s also the CEO of stop-motion animation house Laika, where he pitched the brilliant Oscar-nominated “Kubo and the Two Strings” to the big screen. “Missing Link” writer/director (and Knight’s Laika colleague) Chris Butler was then brought in to rewrite Nees’ script.
Guy Hendrix Dyas, whose genre credits include “Inception,” “Superman Returns” and “X-Men 2,” is the production designer for “Masters of the Universe.”
