Fans of ’80s animation, congrats: One of your childhood heroes is coming to the big screen — in a movie that’s hopefully better than the previous one. The first trailer for Amazon MGM Studios’ Masters of the Universe reveals Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Adam, aka He-Man, and Jared Leto as the villainous Skeletor.
Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings, Bumblebee) directs the live-action fantasy epic, after a seemingly endless development process. The plot of the new movie departs somewhat from previous versions of the franchise. It starts two decades ago, when a young Adam (Artie Wilkinson-Hunt) is hidden away on Earth, his mother’s home planet, as his world of Eternia is thrown into war. Separated from his destined steel, the Power Sword of Grayskull, Adam’s present is stuck in corporate doldrums while his head is filled with fantasies of his home world. When he finally retrieves his sword, he returns to Eternia, where he must battle for the fate of his planet and unlock his true power as He-Man.
While the exact plot line differs from past adaptations, the filmmakers have gone right back to the original Mattel toy line for the look of the thing. Characters like He-Man, Skeletor, Teela (Camila Mendes), Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), Fisto (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson), Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie), Trap Jaw (Sam C. Wilson), Goat Man (Hafþór Júlíus “The Mountain” Björnssonand), and even digital creations like Beast-Man and Battle Cat all have designs ripped right out of a blister pack. The biggest change seems to be with Roboto (voiced by Kristen Wiig), who appears as a hulking mech instead of a glitchy android with a transparent chest.
We’ll see if Masters of the Universe can also capture the quirky blend of dark and fun, fantasy and sci-fi that made the early incarnations so beloved when Masters of the Universe arrives in theaters on June 5th. Check out the full teaser trailer below, and for more, take a look at our review of Kevin Smith’s recent animated reimagining of these characters.
The film’s cast also includes Morena Baccarin (The Sorceress), James Purefoy (King Randor), Charlotte Riley (Queen Marlena), Sasheer Zamata (Suzie), Kojo Attah (Tri-Klops), James Wilkinson (Mekaneck), Jon Xue Zhang (Ram-Man), and Stephen Adentan (Moss Man).
