By the power of Grayskull, Amazon MGM’s upcoming Masters of the Universe film has found its Skeletor, with the big bad being played by none other than Jared Leto.
As reported by Variety, the actor-musician is set to take on the role of the blue skull-faced sorcerer and will face off against Nicholas Galitzine’s He-Man, alongside his motley crew of henchmen, including Trap Jaw, played by Sam C. Wilson (House of the Dragon), Tri-Klops played by Kojo Attah (The Beekeeper) and Goat Man played by Hafthor Bjornsson (Game of Thrones).

Leto, of course, is no stranger to taking on villainous roles, previously portraying the Joker in 2016’s Suicide Squad, the evil CEO Niander Wallace in 2017’s Blade Runner 2049 and the titular anti-hero of 2022’s Morbius. Due to the nature of Skeletor’s cranially exposed look, it seems highly likely that Leto’s portrayal will be mostly CGI, but it will be interesting to see how the actor imbues his own personal flair to the iconic character.
The villains join the expanding A-lister cast, which includes Alison Brie (Community) as Skeletor’s lieutenant Evil-Lyn, Camila Mendes (Riverdale) as Teela and Idris Elba (Luther) as Teela’s father, Man-at-Arms. The film will be directed by Travis Knight, with its latest screenplay draft written by Chris Butler.
Masters of the Universe releases on 5 June 2026.