Masters of the Universe (2026 film)

Masters of the Universe (2026 film)

Masters of the Universe (also known as He-Man and the Masters of the Universe in some territories) is a 2026 American science fantasy film based on the eponymous media franchise by Mattel. It is the second live-action film adaptation, the 1987 film was the first. It was directed by Travis Knight and written by Chris Butler, Aaron Nee, Adam Nee, and David Callaham. Nicholas Galitzine stars as Prince Adam / He-Man, alongside Camila Mendes, Idris Elba, Jared Leto, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Charlotte Riley, Kristen Wiig, and Morena Baccarin. Its plot follows Prince Adam (Galitzine) as he returns to his home planet, Eternia, to take his destiny as He-Man, and save his home from the evil forces of Skeletor (Leto).

The production was announced in 2009 by Sony Pictures Entertainment with Escape Artists producing. Following multiple writer, director and casting changes, the rights were transferred to Netflix in 2022 and then bought by Amazon MGM Studios in 2024. Principal photography occurred in London, United Kingdom, from January to June 2025.

Masters of the Universe was premiered at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on May 18, 2026, and was released in the United States by Amazon MGM Studios on June 5, 2026, and internationally by Sony Pictures Releasing International. The film received mixed reviews from critics and underperformed at the box office, grossing $114 million worldwide against a $200 million production budget.

Plot

Masters of the Universe (2026 film)

In Eternos, the capital city of the planet Eternia, young Prince Adam and his friend Teela are trained in the art of battle by Duncan, the king's Man-At-Arms and Teela's father. The city is attacked by forces led by warlock Skeletor, who captures Adam's parents, King Randor and Queen Marlena, while Duncan is gravely injured by mercenary Trap Jaw. The Sorceress, guardian of Castle Grayskull on the outskirts of Eternos, sends Adam through a portal to Earth, Marlena's homeworld. She entrusts Adam with the Sword of Power, and Adam escapes but loses it.

Fifteen years later, an adult Adam works in human resources and lives with his friend Hussein in Oklahoma City. Obsessed with finding the sword, Adam eventually receives an anonymous tip via text message and reclaims it at a comic store. The next day, Adam is arrested for the sword's theft, but is stopped in transit on a freeway where he is attacked by Skeletor's lieutenant Beast Man. He is rescued by Teela, alerted after Adam touched the sword, and they escape in her ship to the ruins of Eternos, where the warriors of Eternia live in hiding from Skeletor's rule.

Offended by Adam's childhood nicknames for them, the warriors dismiss him as a nobody and imprison Adam and Teela with Duncan, now a drunk, and Roboto, a combat robot reprogrammed as a servant. The four escape and convince the warriors, including Fisto, Ram-Man, Dian and Mekaneck, to trust them. They are attacked by Skeletor's forces, and Trap Jaw stands in their path to board Teela's ship. Adam uses the sword to summon the power of Grayskull, transforming into a warrior, and defeats Trap Jaw.

Skeletor captures the others after Adam, Duncan, Roboto, and Teela flee, and executes Moss Man, forcing Fisto to admit that Adam has the sword. Skeletor reveals to Adam that his parents are alive and demands the sword as ransom. Adam, Teela, and Duncan reach Skeletor's lair at Snake Mountain, where Adam defeats Skeletor's personal guard and faces Skeletor, but Randor is mortally wounded in the ensuing cave-in. Knocked unconscious, Adam changes back into his mortal form as he and the others are imprisoned with Marlena. While imprisoned, Adam reunites with his tiger companion Cringer.

Skeletor discovers that he cannot access the sword's powers and his counselor, sorceress Evil-Lyn, suggests a ritual at Castle Grayskull. Adam and his comrades escape to Eternos and lead Fisto, Ram-Man, Dian, and Mekaneck against Skeletor's army. Duncan fights and kills Trap Jaw, but Roboto is destroyed. Riding on Cringer, Adam and Teela break into Castle Grayskull where Adam duels Skeletor, Teela takes on Evil-Lyn, and Cringer faces off against Beast Man. Skeletor shatters the Sword with his Havoc Staff, stabs Adam and proceeds to telepathically torment him inside his memories of Earth.

The Sorceress appears to Adam and explains that it is he, not the Sword, that truly harbors the power of Grayskull. Now free, Adam reconstitutes the Sword, summoning the power of Grayskull to transform into Eternia's champion once again. Adam tries to use his Earth-learned wisdom to negotiate with Skeletor, who rejects his peace offering. The two battle until Adam overpowers Skeletor, ultimately defeating him by reflecting his staff's power, destroying it and disintegrating his body. Meanwhile, Evil-Lyn flees.

Six months later, Marlena now reclaims rule over Eternos, where Adam and his friends welcome a refurbished Roboto as well as Hussein, who sees for himself that everything Adam told him was true. Teela asks whether Adam has a heroic name for himself, and he decides to call himself, "He-Man". Responding to a distress signal from an Avion village, Adam and Cringer leap into action as He-Man and the newly-armored Battle Cat.

In the town square, the Trollan magician Orko appears, breaking the fourth wall, telling viewers the morals of the story. Later, as Marlena watches He-Man and Battle Cat charge into battle, she tells Duncan she has given up hope for reuniting with both her children, while Duncan is more hopeful for her daughter's return. Elsewhere, Adam's long-lost twin sister Princess Adora discovers the Sword of Protection near the Fright Zone on the planet Etheria. Meanwhile, Evil-Lyn returns to Castle Grayskull to retrieve Skeletor's skull. As she leaves, Skeletor's laughter is heard.

Cast

Masters of the Universe (2026 film)

• Nicholas Galitzine as Adam Glenn / He-Man, the former Prince of Eternia who was raised on Earth after fleeing his home for his protection. • Artie Wilkinson-Hunt as young Adam. • Camila Mendes as Teela, Duncan's adoptive daughter and Captain of the Guards of Eternia who serves as Adam's lieutenant and love interest. • Eire Farrell as young Teela. • Idris Elba as Duncan / Man-At-Arms, Teela's adoptive father and King Randor's trusted general who fights with his vast array of weapons and gadgets. • Jared Leto as Skeletor, a skull-faced sorcerer and the tyrannical ruler of Eternia whose fiendish grip on the planet forces Prince Adam to embrace his true destiny as He-Man. • Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, a sorceress and Skeletor's right-hand-woman. • James Purefoy as King Randor, the co-ruler of the Eternian kingdom of Eternos, Marlena's husband, and Adam's father who was usurped by Skeletor. • Charlotte Riley as Queen Marlena, an ex-astronaut from Earth, co-ruler of Eternos, Randor's wife, and Adam's mother who was usurped by Skeletor. • Morena Baccarin as the Sorceress, the guardian of Castle Grayskull whose magical knowledge is unsurpassed. • Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Fisto, a Heroic Warrior with a distinctive large metal right hand. • Jon Xue Zhang as Ram-Man, a Heroic Warrior known for his powerful headbutt attack. • Sam C. Wilson as Trap Jaw, a cyborg weapons expert and member of Skeletor's Evil Warriors. • Sasheer Zamata as Suzie, Adam's boss on Earth. • Christian Vunipola as Hussein, Adam's roommate on Earth. • Christiaan Bettridge as Dian, a Royal Guard who bullied Adam as a child. • Delilah O'Riordan as young Dian. • James Wilkinson as Mekaneck, a Heroic Warrior who can extend his mechanical neck to great lengths. • Kojo Attah as Tri-Klops, a member of Skeletor's Evil Warriors with three rotating mechanical eyes. • James Apps as Spikor, a spike-covered member of Skeletor's Evil Warriors. • Stephen Adentan as Moss Man, a humanoid plant creature. • Arun Bassi as Pigboy, a pig-like member of Skeletor's Evil Warriors.

Additionally, Dolph Lundgren, who portrayed He-Man in the 1987 film, cameos as a "Macho Man" who Adam encounters at a gym. Elena Rivers appears as Julie, Adam's date and Lauren Saliu has a cameo in the film's second mid-credits scene as Adora, Adam's long lost twin sister.

Voices

• Kristen Wiig as Roboto, a robot who possesses great strength and resilience with her mechanical body. • Piotr Michael as the Eternian ship that Teela pilots. • Christopher Ragland as Orko, a magician from the parallel world of Trolla. The character appears during the first mid-credits scene. • Gary Martin as Beast Man, an ape-like member of his similar-named kind and one of Skeletor's top lieutenants who has the power to mind control creatures. James Unsworth provided the motion capture for Beast Man, while John King served as stand-in for the animation. • Tom Wilton as Cringer / Battle Cat, a talking green tiger who is Adam's pet and companion. • Fletcher Glenn voices a young Cringer. • Kellen Goff as Goat Man, a formidable warrior allied with Skeletor. Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson served as the physical actor. • Ben Pronsky as Karg, a member of Skeletor's Evil Warriors that holds a hook on his left hand. Hung Dante Dong served as the physical actor.

Production

Development

A new He-Man film directed by John Woo was reportedly being developed in 2007, but the project was never officially greenlit. The film rights to He-Man reportedly reverted to Mattel.

Years later, Warner Bros. Pictures 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 September 2009, Sony Pictures Entertainment took over the rights from Warner Bros. 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.

In late 2012, it was reported that Jon M. Chu was in talks to direct the film. The original He-Man actor Dolph Lundgren did an interview with IGN about a possible role in the film as King Randor. In October 2012, Richard Wenk was hired to rewrite the script for the film. In March 2013, Chu said that the film was still in early development and that it would not 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 also stated that Chu would not direct the film.

In January 2014, Schmoes Know reported that Joe Cornish, Rian Johnson, Andrés Muschietti, Kirk DeMicco, 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 was 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, with 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 had 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 the film, however, in an interview, Huante said that Sony felt that Goyer's script would be too expensive to bring to life, as Goyer had intended for the movie to be on the epic scale of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He confirmed that Goyer's 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 write 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 had 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 on development, citing budgetary concerns, leading Mattel to search for a new buyer and causing 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 frequent collaborator Chris Butler hired to rewrite the screenplay. In May 2024, it was officially confirmed that Knight would direct the film for Amazon MGM. Production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas joined the project to oversee visual world-building and character design. Richard Sale served as the costume designer.

Ultimately, Butler alongside the writing team of the Nee brothers and Callaham received "screenplay by" credit, while the Nee brothers with the writing duo of Litvak and Finch received "story by" credit. Offscreen "additional literary material credit" went to Lindsey Anderson Beer, Will Beall, Peter Craig, David Odell (writer of the 1987 Masters of the Universe film), Rossio, McG, Goyer, Justin Rhodes, Yost, Jason Keller, Marcum, Holloway, Christopher Ford, Wenk, Chris Shafer, Paul Vicknair, and Wadlow.

Casting

A few weeks after Amazon MGM's acquisition, 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 asked for the role of Skeletor. According to director Travis Knight, Leto proactively approached the studio and the filmmakers because he is a huge fan of the franchise and wanted a chance to "swing for the fences" with the character. 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, Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson as Goat Man, and Kojo Attah as Tri-Klops.

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. In August 2025, it was announced that Kristen Wiig had been cast as Roboto. Ahead of the film's release, voice actor Gary Martin was revealed to be voicing Beast Man in May 2026.

Filming

Principal photography began on January 6, 2025, in London at Sky Studios Elstree, with Fabian Wagner serving as the cinematographer. Filming was originally scheduled for mid-July 2019 in Prague, Summer 2022, and April 2023. On June 15, 2025, Galitzine confirmed on his Instagram that filming had officially wrapped. Additional filming occurred at Bray Film Studios. Location filming took place around Canary Wharf, including Cabot Square and the Canary Wharf tube station. Other notable locations include Wells Cathedral, Wookey Hole Caves and the Beer Quarry Caves. Some scenes were also filmed in Iceland, with production service provided by Truenorth.

Post-production

Paul Rubell serves as the film's editor. Tim Burke and David Vickery serve as the film's visual effects supervisors, with visual effects provided by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), DNEG, Rodeo FX, Cinesite, Untold Studios and Host VFX. The film features 2,180 visual effects shots, with ILM doing 793 shots focusing on the Beastman sequence, the Rift spacetime, He-Man’s transformation, Subternia, Trap Jaw and Snake Mountain. DNEG worked on 750 shots including the opening scenes, Skeletor’s invasion on Eternos, Cringer and the final battle on Greyskull. DNEG based Eternos on real-world walled cities in Italy, medieval castles in Wales and the Wells Cathedral in Somerset. ILM and DNEG collaborated on Skeletor facial expressions and Roboto. Rodeo FX worked on 150 shots on the Sky Sled Chase Sequence and the “Ancient Forest” Sequence which was collaborated with DNEG. Cinesite worked on the “Hallway Battle” scene, the holographic projections of Eternia and the Skeletor’s Boudoir sequence. Untold Studios worked on the opening shots of the film with the landscapes of Eternia and the forging of the Sword of Power.

Music

Masters of the Universe (2026 film)

Daniel Pemberton served as composer for the film, working together with Queen guitarist Brian May. British rock band The Darkness released the title theme song "Masters of the Universe" on May 22. The "Legend of Eternia" by Daniel Pemberton, Brian May and The Darkness released the song on August 7. The soundtrack album was released digitally by Lakeshore Records on June 5.

Included in the film but not in the soundtrack are the songs "What's Up?" by 4 Non Blondes, "The Man" by the Killers, "The Power" by Snap!, and "Princes of the Universe" by Queen.

Release

Theatrical

Masters of the Universe had its premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre on May 18, 2026, and was released by Amazon MGM Studios in the United States on June 5, 2026. It was originally scheduled to be released theatrically in the United States on March 5, 2021, by Sony Pictures Releasing (who would later acquire international theatrical distribution rights to the film in June 2025), until Uncharted (which itself was later delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic) briefly took over its release date.

Home media

Masters of the Universe was released on Amazon Prime Video on July 22, 2026. The July 20–26, 2026 Nielsen streaming ratings reported Masters of the Universe as the top streaming title shortly after Prime Video release, scored 1.17 billion minutes of watch time. FlixPatrol reported that the film reached No. 1 in 25 countries, with the UK reach second.

Marketing

On May 19, 2026, a drone light show produced by Amazon over Los Angeles to promote the film set a new Guinness World Record for "Largest Drone Light Show".

Reception

Box office

As of July 19, 2026, Masters of the Universe has grossed $65 million in the United States and Canada, and $49 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $114 million.

In the United States and Canada, Masters of the Universe was released alongside Scary Movie, and was projected to gross $30–35 million from 3,677 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $11.7 million on its first day, including $4.4 million from Thursday night previews. It debuted to an underwhelming $29.3 million, finishing second behind Scary Movie. In its second weekend, the film grossed $8.6 million (a drop of 70%), finishing in fifth place behind newcomer Disclosure Day, Obsession, Scary Movie and Backrooms. Jeremy Fuster from TheWrap attributed the sharp decline to a failure to reach an audience beyond "Gen X male moviegoers nostalgic for the 80s fantasy franchise", while Rebecca Rubin from Variety commented that it was shaping up to be one of the biggest box-office bombs of the year, and that the film "will have a harder time justifying its mega price tag".

In response to the underperformance at the box office, Amazon MGM's domestic distribution chief, Kevin Wilson, downplayed negative and highlighted the positive critical response and upswing potential upon streaming release, noting: "this opening is exactly the kind of critical first moment that validates our holistic distribution strategy—building awareness and engagement that will carry well beyond the theatrical window."

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 68% of 257 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "By the power of Grayskull and with a little help from its self-deprecating script and spirited cast, Masters of the Universe is a delightful adventure that finds the humanity in He-Man." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 52 out of 100, based on 44 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, while 64% of those surveyed by PostTrak said they would "definitely recommend" it.

Critics praised Knight's direction, the performances of the cast, action sequences, and nostalgic tone, while some were divided over its humor, pacing, and screenplay. In an 8 out of 10 review, Clint Gage of IGN called it "a film that appreciates the source material, silly names and all, and proves the best way to add to a 50-year-old [sic] franchise that's about toys as much as anything else is to not take it too seriously," and praised Leto's "delightfully weird and cartoonish" portrayal of Skeletor. Writing for The Irish Times, Donald Clarke described the film as "a minor miracle" that "dances gaily [...] on the 'fine line between clever and stupid'". Zaki Hasan of the San Francisco Chronicle praised the film for telling "a rousing fantasy adventure with conviction, humor and heart." Ricky Archuleta of Film Threat awarded the film a perfect 10 out of 10 score, describing it as "a thrilling ride featuring high-octane action sequences and performances fueled by an infectious, heroic heart that make the audience root for the 'good guys' to emerge victorious."

Kyle Smith of The Wall Street Journal described it as "a two-hour-plus comedy-and-effects bonanza whose fantasy images are more notable for their quantity than quality, like a digital Golden Corral." In a 2 out of 5 review, Kevin Maher of The Times stated that "Masters of the Universe is a patchwork misfire that fancies itself as a new Thor: Ragnarok, Flash Gordon or Guardians of the Galaxy without displaying a sliver of originality and which instead frequently trips over its own wildly confused gender politics." Benjamin Lee of The Guardian gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, stating "Amazon's head-scratching $200m-budgeted misfire fails to explain why so much time, money and effort has been wasted… [in a] laboured attempt to resurrect [a] toy IP very few people still care about".

Accolades

<table><thead><tr><th>Award</th><th>Date of ceremony</th><th>Category</th><th>Recipient(s)</th><th>Result</th><th>Ref.</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><th>Astra Midseason Movie Awards</th><td>June 30, 2026</td><td>Best Stunts</td><td rowspan="2">Masters of the Universe</td><td>Nominated</td><td></td></tr><tr><th rowspan="4">Critics' Choice Super Awards</th><td rowspan="4">August 6, 2026</td><td>Best Superhero Movie</td><td>Nominated</td><td rowspan="4"></td></tr><tr><td>Best Actor in a Superhero Movie</td><td>Nicholas Galitzine</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Best Actress in a Superhero Movie</td><td>Camila Mendes</td><td>Nominated</td></tr><tr><td>Best Villain in a Movie</td><td>Jared Leto</td><td>Nominated</td></tr></tbody></table>

Future

Masters of the Universe (2026 film)

Prior to the film's release, director Travis Knight discussed in May 2026 how he went into the making of this film viewing it as a standalone film with the potential to have sequels and become a franchise. In another interview, Knight stated, "With every movie that I've ever made, I've always imagined where the characters go outside ... the bounds of the movie. You want to tell a self-contained story, and I think we've done that with this movie, but there are things within the wider mythology that didn't fit within that, and the She-Ra character was one of them. Adora is also a character that carries a lot of weight with her. A lot of people, myself included, love that character, so we wanted to give a little nod to where that could go if we were given the opportunity to tell more stories."