Masters of the Universe | |
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Directed by | Travis Knight |
Screenplay by | Chris Butler |
Based on | Masters of the Universe by Mattel |
Produced by |
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Starring |
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Cinematography | Fabian Wagner |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Amazon MGM Studios |
Release date |
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $200 million |
Masters of the Universe is an upcoming American superhero film based on Mattel's franchise of the same name, and serving as a reboot to the 1987 film. The film was directed by Travis Knight, from a script by Chris Butler and stars Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Adam / He-Man, alongside Camila Mendes as Teela, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Idris Elba as Man-At-Arms, Jared Leto as Skeletor, Hafthor Bjornsson as Goat Man and Kojo Attah as Tri-Klops.
Masters of the Universe is scheduled to be released in the United States on June 5, 2026.
Ten-year-old Prince Adam crash-lands on Earth, separating him from his Power Sword. Two decades later, he takes his sword back and takes on the mantle of He-Man as he battles for his home planet, Eternia, against the evil forces of Skeletor. [1]
A new He-Man film directed by John Woo was reportedly being developed in 2007, but despite many rumors circulating the Internet regarding the film's production status and casting, the project was never officially green-lit. The film rights to He-Man have reportedly since reverted to Mattel. [2]
In September 2009, Sony Pictures Entertainment took over the rights from Warner Bros. Pictures to produce the live-action adaptation after Mattel and producer Joel Silver, who was previously involved with a potential film, couldn't agree on creative direction for the film. [3] Sony and Escape Artists' Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, and Steve Tisch were to start developing the project from scratch for Sony's Columbia Pictures. In April 2010, Sony hired screenwriters Mike Finch and Alex Litvak to draft a new script. [4] Warner announced that John Stevenson would direct the upcoming feature. In May 2009, it was announced that the scripting duties had been handed to Evan Daugherty, with Stevenson still attached to direct. [5]
In late 2012, it was reported that Jon M. Chu was in talks to direct the film. [6] Original He-Man actor Dolph Lundgren did an interview with IGN about a possible role in the film as King Randor. [7] On October 2012, Richard Wenk was hired to rewrite the script for the film. [8] In March 2013, Chu said that the film was still early is in the experimentation and also it won't be campy but an origin story. [9] [10] In October, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Terry Rossio would scribe, and the film would be set on Eternia; the report stated Chu would not direct the film. [11]
In January 2014, Schmoes Know reported that Joe Cornish, Rian Johnson, Andrés Muschietti, Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders, and Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were named as frontrunners to direct the film. [12] The following month, it was reported that directors Mike Cahill, Jeff Wadlow, Harald Zwart, and Chris McKay were on the short list to direct. [13] [14] In April, they updated that Wadlow would direct the film, while The Hollywood Reporter announced that he's rewriting the script. [15] [16]
In August 2015, it was announced that Christopher Yost had been hired to re-write the film. [17] In January 2016, Deadline reported that McG would direct the film and would also oversee a rewrite of the latest script by Finch and Litvak, as well as DeVon Franklin added as a producer. [18] In June 2016, Kellan Lutz tweeted that he has a meeting with both McG and Mary Viola about the role of He-Man. [19] [20] In April 2017, it was announced that the film would be released on December 18, 2019. At the same time, McG left the film, and David S. Goyer has been hired to rewrite the script. [21] In December 2017, it was reported that Goyer was now set to not only write but direct the film. [22] [23] In February 2018, Variety reported that Goyer had decided to step away as director to focus on other projects, but he would remain on board as an executive producer and screenwriter and the studio was said to be very happy with the script he turned in and was meeting with potential replacements. [24] Carlos Huante, a creature designer, former artist at Industrial Light and Magic and who also worked on the original Filmation cartoon, was hired by Goyer to work on his film, however, in an interview, Huante said that Sony felt that Goyer's script would be too expensive to bring to life as Goyer intended for the movie to be on the epic scale of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and that his ideas for the film would no longer be used. [25]
In April 2018, Variety reported that Aaron and Adam Nee would direct the film. [26] [27] In January 2019, Art Marcum and Matt Holloway were brought in and it was announced that they would rewrite a new draft for the film. [28] In March 2019, it was reported that Noah Centineo was in talks to play He-Man [29] with Centineo confirming a month later that he has been officially cast in the role. [30] In April 2021, it was reported that Centineo vacated the role of He-Man. [31]
In January 2022, it was announced that Netflix had officially acquired the rights from Sony, after producing the animated shows Masters of the Universe: Revelation and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe , with Kyle Allen cast as He-Man. It was also revealed that the Nee Brothers and David Callaham had written a new draft of the screenplay. [32] In October 2022, Allen had stated he was working out six hours a day in preparation for the role. [33] In July 2023, Netflix cancelled the film, after spending $30 million in development, citing budget concerns, leading Mattel to search for a new buyer. [34]
In November 2023, it was revealed that Amazon MGM Studios was eyeing to purchase the film rights. [35] In February 2024, it was announced that Travis Knight was in final talks to become the new director of the film, with Chris Butler hired to rewrite the screenplay. [36] In May 2024, it was officially confirmed that Knight would direct the film for Amazon MGM. [1] That same month, Nicholas Galitzine was cast as He-Man, replacing Allen. [37] [38] In August, Camila Mendes joined the cast of the film as Teela. [39] In September, Alison Brie joined the cast as the antagonist Evil-Lyn. [40] Jared Leto had been offered the role of Skeletor. [41] In November, Idris Elba joined the cast as Man-At-Arms. [42] In December, Leto was confirmed for the role of Skeletor, alongside Sam C. Wilson as Trap Jaw, Hafthor Bjornsson as Goat Man, and Kojo Attah as Tri-Klops. [43]
Principal photography began on January 6, 2025, in London, with Fabian Wagner serving as the cinematographer. [44] [45] Filming was originally scheduled for mid-July 2019 in Prague, [46] Summer 2022, [32] [33] and April 2023. [47]
Masters of the Universe is scheduled to be released by Amazon MGM Studios in the United States on June 5, 2026. [48] It was originally going to be released theatrically in the United States on March 5, 2021, by Sony Pictures Releasing, [49] until Uncharted briefly took over its release date. [50]
He-Man is a superhero and the protagonist of the sword and planet Masters of the Universe franchise, which includes a toy line, several animated television series, comic books, and a feature film. He-Man is characterized by his superhuman strength and in most variations, is the alter ego of Prince Adam. He-Man and his friends attempt to defend the secrets of Castle Grayskull, the planet Eternia, and the rest of the universe from the evil forces of his archenemy Skeletor. He-Man is the twin brother of She-Ra.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattel's toy line Masters of the Universe. The show was one of the most popular animated shows of the 1980s.
Masters of the Universe is a sword and planet-themed media franchise created by Mattel. The main premise revolves around the conflict between He-Man and Skeletor on the planet Eternia, with a vast lineup of supporting characters in a hybrid setting of medieval sword and sorcery, and sci-fi technology. A follow-up series, She-Ra: Princess of Power revolves around He-Man's sister She-Ra and her rebellion against The Horde on the planet Etheria. Since its initial launch, the franchise has spawned a variety of products, including multiple lines of action figures, six animated television series, several comic series, video games, books and magazines, a daily newspaper comic strip, and two feature films.
Skeletor is a fictional supervillain and the main antagonist of the Masters of the Universe franchise created by Mattel, serving as the archenemy of He-Man and usually depicted as a skull-faced, blue-skinned sorcerer. In the franchise's storyline, Skeletor seeks to discover the secrets of Castle Grayskull, which he believes will allow him to conquer the planet of Eternia and the universe, and become the titular Master of the Universe.
Castle Grayskull is a fictional castle that forms a central location in the Masters of the Universe toy/comic/animation universe and also appears in the 1987 live action adaptation. The concept is credited to Donald F. Glut. The toy set was invented by Roger Sweet. Castle Grayskull was a "major feature of Mattel's line", and was "one of the most famous playsets of all time".
Evil-Lyn is a supervillainess in the Masters of the Universe toy line and the accompanying cartoon series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
Masters of the Universe is a 1987 American superhero film based on the Masters of the Universe franchise by Mattel. The film was directed by Gary Goddard, produced by Yoram Globus and Menahem Golan, and written by David Odell. It stars Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella, Jon Cypher, Chelsea Field, Billy Barty, Courteney Cox, Robert Duncan McNeill, and Meg Foster. The film follows two teenagers who meet He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe, who travels to Earth with his friends to stop their archenemy, the evil Skeletor from obtaining a cosmic key that will enable him to take over their home planet of Eternia and the entire universe.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an animated television series. Developed for television by Michael Halperin, who created the original series, it was animated by Mike Young Productions. It served as an update of the 1980s Filmation series, produced to coincide with Mattel's revival of the Masters of the Universe franchise eleven years after its previous attempt. The series ran on Cartoon Network's Toonami programming block between August 16, 2002, and January 10, 2004.
The Masters of the Universe media franchise has appeared in several comic book series. Most were small publications, which were included as bonuses with action figures. Standalone comic-book series were also published by DC, Marvel Comics, London Edition Magazines and Image Comics.
David Elias Callaham is an American screenwriter and producer. He is best known for co-writing the screenplays for the films Doom (2005), The Expendables (2010), Zombieland: Double Tap (2019), Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), Mortal Kombat, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023).
The Fountain of Life is a 2012 fantasy-adventure fan film based on Mattel's Masters of the Universe franchise and Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. The film was directed by John F. Carroll and Russell Minton during the winter and spring of 2012 around Austin, Texas and the Hesse, Germany.
The Trials of Darksmoke is a 2013 fantasy-adventure fan film based upon Mattel's Masters of the Universe franchise. It is the third and final film in a trilogy that includes The Wizard of Stone Mountain and The Fountain of Life. The film was directed by John F. Carroll during the Winter and Spring of 2012 around Austin, Texas and the Texas Hill Country.
Noah Gregory Centineo is an American actor. He began his career performing on television and had a main role in the television series The Fosters from 2015 to 2018. He achieved wider recognition by starring in the Netflix romantic comedy films To All the Boys film series (2018–2021), Sierra Burgess Is a Loser (2018), and The Perfect Date (2019).
Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment. Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, the films are based on various Marvel Comics characters and properties commonly associated with the character Spider-Man, who is not prominently featured in the franchise.
Morbius is a 2022 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Marvel Entertainment, Arad Productions, and Matt Tolmach Productions, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing as the third film in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU). Directed by Daniel Espinosa and written by the writing team of Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless, the film stars Jared Leto as Dr. Michael Morbius, alongside Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, and Tyrese Gibson. In the film, Michael Morbius and his surrogate brother Milo (Smith) become living vampires after curing themselves of a rare blood disease.
Masters of the Universe is an American animated superhero fantasy television series produced by Kevin Smith and Powerhouse Animation Studios. A sequel to the 1983–1985 series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Filmation, while ignoring the events of The New Adventures of He-Man (1990), the plot of Revelation explores unresolved storylines from the original 1980s series. It stars the voices of Chris Wood, Mark Hamill, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Liam Cunningham, Lena Headey, Melissa Benoist, William Shatner, Meg Foster and Keith David, and follows after a terrible battle between He-Man and Skeletor that left Eternia divided, and the Guardians of Grayskull split up. Now, many decades later, Teela needs to reunite this group of heroes and decipher the mysterious disappearance of the Sword of Power.
Nicholas Dimitri Constantine Galitzine is a British actor. After appearing in an episode of the television series Legends in 2015, he had lead roles in the 2016 teen films High Strung and Handsome Devil. He later starred in the supernatural horror film The Craft: Legacy (2020) and the musical film Cinderella (2021), also contributing to the latter's accompanying soundtrack.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an animated superhero television series developed by Rob David and is a reimagining of the 1983 series of the same name. The series premiered on Netflix on September 16, 2021. A second season was released on March 3, 2022. The third season was released on August 18, 2022.
He-Man, a fictional superhero from the sword and sorcery franchise Masters of the Universe created by Mattel, has often attracted queer interpretations and discussions over his status as a gay icon. His first appearance was in the 1982 comics included with his toy figures. The animated television series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, which aired from 1983 to 1986, focused on the character and established traits that would remain consistent in future installments of the franchise.