# Masters of the Universe (2026 film)

Masters of the Universe is an upcoming American superhero film based on Mattel's franchise of the same name. The film is 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, Morena Baccarin as The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Malcolm / Fisto, and Jared Leto as Skeletor.
Masters of the Universe is scheduled to be released in the United States on June 5, 2026.

## Premise

10-year-old Adam Glenn crash-lands on his mother's home planet Earth, separating him from his ancestor's Power Sword of Grayskull. 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.

## Cast

* Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Adam Glenn / He-Man, descendant of King D'Vann Grayskull.
* Camila Mendes as Teela, Captain of the Guards, Man-At-Arms' adoptive daughter and He-Man's sergeant.
* Jared Leto as Keldor / Skeletor, leader of the Evil Warriors and Randor's half-brother.
* Alison Brie as Professor Evelyn Powers / Evil-Lyn, dastardly sorceress and Skeletor's lieutenant who poses undercover as a professor at Adam's college.
* Idris Elba as Duncan / Man-At-Arms, inventor, He-Man's lieutenant, and Teela's adoptive father.
* Sam C. Wilson as Kronis / Trap Jaw, Gar cyborg weapons expert.
* Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson as Goat Man
* Kojo Attah as Tri-Klops, bounty hunter and swordsman.
* Morena Baccarin as the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull and Teela's biological mother.
* Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Malcolm / Fisto, Duncan's younger brother and Teela's adoptive uncle.
* James Purefoy as King Randor, ruler of Eternia and Adam's father.
* Charlotte Riley as Queen Marlena Glenn, ex-astronaut from Earth, co-ruler of Eternia, Randor's wife, and Adam's mother.
* Jon Xue Zhang as Ram-Man
* Sasheer Zamata as Suzie, Adam's best friend.

## Production
### Development

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.
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. 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. 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.
In late 2012, it was reported that Jon M. Chu was in talks to direct the film. Original He-Man actor Dolph Lundgren did an interview with IGN about a possible role in the film as King Randor. On October 2012, Richard Wenk was hired to rewrite the script for the film. 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. 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.
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. The following month, it was reported that directors Mike Cahill, Jeff Wadlow, Harald Zwart, and Chris McKay were on the short list to direct. In April, they updated that Wadlow would direct the film, while The Hollywood Reporter announced that he's rewriting the script.
In August 2015, it was announced that Christopher Yost had been hired to re-write the film. 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. In June 2016, Kellan Lutz tweeted that he has a meeting with both McG and Mary Viola about the role of He-Man. 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. In December 2017, it was reported that Goyer was now set to not only write but direct the film. 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. 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.
In April 2018, Variety reported that Aaron and Adam Nee would direct the film. 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. In March 2019, it was reported that Noah Centineo was in talks to play He-Man with Centineo confirming a month later that he has been officially cast in the role. In April 2021, it was reported that Centineo vacated the role of He-Man.
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. In October 2022, Allen had stated he was working out six hours a day in preparation for the role. In July 2023, Netflix cancelled the film, after spending $30 million in development, citing budget concerns, leading Mattel to search for a new buyer and caused the Nee brothers to no longer be the directors for the film.

### Pre-production

In November 2023, it was revealed that Amazon MGM Studios was eyeing to purchase the film rights. In February 2024, it was announced that Travis Knight was in final talks to replace the Nee brothers and become the new director of the film, with Chris Butler hired to rewrite the screenplay. In May 2024, it was officially confirmed that Knight would direct the film for Amazon MGM. That same month, Nicholas Galitzine was cast as He-Man, replacing Allen. In August, Camila Mendes joined the cast of the film as Teela. In September, Alison Brie joined the cast as the antagonist Evil-Lyn. Jared Leto had been offered the role of Skeletor. In November, Idris Elba joined the cast as Man-At-Arms. 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.

### Filming

Principal photography began on January 6, 2025, in London, with Fabian Wagner serving as the cinematographer. Filming was originally scheduled for mid-July 2019 in Prague, Summer 2022, and April 2023. In February 2025, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, James Purefoy, Charlotte Riley, Jon Xue Zhang, Sasheer Zamata, and Christian Vunipola joined the cast of the film, playing The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, Malcolm / Fisto, King Randor, Queen Marlena, Ram-Man, Suzie, and Hussein respectively.

## Release

Masters of the Universe is scheduled to be released by Amazon MGM Studios in the United States on June 5, 2026. It was originally going to be released theatrically in the United States on March 5, 2021, by Sony Pictures Releasing, until Uncharted briefly took over its release date.