The imaginative, colourful world of Eternia was often filled with playful energy, and it has long formed the essence of the Masters of the Universe toy range. A hulking, muscular warrior with exposed six-pack abs clashing against a skull head paints an absurd image that may even bring out a chuckle or two, but that’s the whole point — and no one knows this better than Travis Knight, director of the forthcoming live-action adaptation.
In an interview with Empire Magazine, the filmmaker recognises the importance of leaning into its toys-turned-cartoon origins, assuring fans that the movie won’t pretend to take itself seriously.
“There’s an inherent silliness to it, which we are acknowledging and embracing,” he said. “I think it’s a virtue, actually. And it’s woven into the script to help some of these things make sense to a modern audience. Like, why would that character have that stupid name? Well, over the course of the movie, we show you why.”
Knight isn’t new to translating toy-slash-animation material for live-action, with 2018’s Bumblebee proving successful at balancing respect for the source material with fun entertainment. Here, he will have to breathe life into Prince Adam / He-Man’s journey of saving his home planet, Eternia, from the evil clutches of Skeletor.
A new look at He-Man, played by Nicholas Galitzine (Red, White, & Royal Blue), and Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie, Community) was also unveiled:
The official synopsis for Masters of the Universe reads, “After being separated for 15 years, the Sword of Power leads Prince Adam back to Eternia, where he discovers his home shattered under the fiendish rule of Skeletor. To save his family and his world, Adam must join forces with his closest allies, Teela and Duncan/Man-At-Arms, and embrace his true destiny as He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe.”
The adventure flick will be Mattel’s second film, following the resounding success of Barbie, which became Warner Bros.’ highest-grossing domestic release and crossed US$1 billion in just 17 days. Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee and Dave Callaham serve as scriptwriters, while additional cast include Teela (Camila Mendes, Riverdale), Duncan / Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba, Luther), Morena Baccarin (Deadpool) as The Sorceress, James Purefoy (The Following) as King Randor, Charlotte Riley (Peaky Blinders) as Queen Marlena, Kristen Wiig (How to Train Your Dragon) as Roboto, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (Captain America: Brave New World) as Malcolm / Fisto, Sam C. Wilson (Deep Cover) as Trap Jaw, Hafthor Bjornsson (Game of Thrones) as Goat Man, Kojo Attah (The Beekeeper) as Tri-Klops, Sasheer Zamata (Agatha All Along) as Suzie, and John Xue Zhang (The Brothers Sun) as Ram-Man.
Masters of the Universe will power up for theatrical release on 5 June 2026.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
