Masters of the Universe Movie Leans Into He-Man’s “Inherent Silliness”
Helmed by Travis Knight (co-founder of Laika Studios and director of Bumblebee), the upcoming Masters of the Universe film adaptation stars Nicholas Galitzine, Jared Leto, Idris Elba, Alison Brie, and Kristen Wiig.
There's just no getting around the fact that the He-Man franchise is a little bombastic—to say the least—with character names, costume designs, and a color palette that are all larger than life.
How it could it not be when you've got a vividly green tiger called "Battle Cat," a living pile of bones dubbed "Skeletor" and a protagonist in a fuzzy loincloth who regularly raises his sword into the air before proclaiming, "I HAVE THE POWER!"?
Rather than try to make a gritty interpretation of the classic IP (as is so often the case in modern-day Hollywood) director Travis Knight's upcoming Masters of the Universe film will lean into the flamboyant nature of Eternia.
Masters of the Universe movie leans into He-Man's "inherent silliness"
“There’s an inherent silliness to it, which we are acknowledging and embracing,” Knight, who founded stop-motion Laika Studios and helmed the Transformers prequel film Bumblebee, said during a recent interview with Empire. “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.”
Written by Chris Butler and Aaron Nee, Adam Nee, and Dave Callaham, the project marks the first live-action take on the iconic IP since 1987's Masters of the Universe starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man.
The 2026 version finds Nicholas Galitzine (Red, White & Royal Blue) stepping into the boots of Adam Glenn, a young man exiled to our reality for 15 years before returning to his homeland of Eternia, which has since been subjugated by Skeletor (Jared Leto).
“I wasn’t looking for a body,” Knight said of finding the right person to play Glenn. “I was looking for a soul. I needed someone who had the spirit of this character, and could be funny and charming and heartbreaking and also plausibly a big action hero. Because there’s a duality there: Adam essentially represents empathy, He-Man represents strength."
Nevertheless, Galitzine knew he couldn't turn up to set as a scrawny weakling.
“I think anyone seeing that iconic physique would find it extremely daunting,” the actor said. “Even the animations put Arnold Schwarzenegger to shame: the proportions, the minuscule waist, the boulder shoulders… I had four or five months to get in shape. Truly, it was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done.”
In addition to He-Man and Skeletor, the movie also features classic characters like Teela (Camila Mendes), Duncan/Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), Roboto (Kristen Wiig), Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie), and Battle Cat/Cringer.
When will the Masters of the Universe movie be released?
Masters of the Universe will exclusively hit theaters everywhere Friday, June 5.
