MGM has released the first official trailer for Masters of the Universe, the forthcoming adaptation of the toy line/animated series of the same name, and…well, it’s not quite what most fans were expecting. Like the previous attempt at a live-action adaptation in 1987, Masters of the Universe will take place partially on Earth, rather than Prince Adam’s realm of Eternia. Unlike the previous iteration, the movie will head home and embrace the fantasy of the property, with a green tiger in attendance and a giant, cartoon-accurate Castle Greyskull seen in the trailer.
Masters of the Universe stars Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Adam/He-Man and Jared Leto as Skeletor, with a cast of familiar faces including Idris Elba, Camila Mendes, and Alison Brie on board as well. The trailer principally follows Galitzine as Prince Adam, a man stuck in a mundane HR job but inexplicably obsessed with a magic sword.
You can see the trailer here:
Directed by Travis Knight, Masters of the Universe has been in and out of development hell for years, with too many directors and stars attached in that time to count. Hailing from Mattel, it’s maybe not surprising that this movie feels inspired by Barbie, with the real world and the fantasy world of Eternia seemingly playing off and commenting on each other.
Masters of the Universe is an interesting property in general. Set in a fantasy world, it blends science fiction elements like spaceships and high tech with classic sword-and-sorcery barbarian imagery, all with a Shazam-style twist in which an everyday person is transformed into a superhero with a bolt of magical lightning.
Debuting in 1982, the action figures and Filmation animated series were a staple of ’80s pop culture. By the end of that decade, though, He-Man’s star had waned and Masters of the Universe never really got that big again. There have been several attempts to resurrect and revamp the brand, sometimes just in toy form but usually accompanied by some kind of animated adaptation. The 1987 live-action version, which starred Dolph Lundgren and Frank Langella, has a cult following but is widely regarded as a disaster.
He-Man’s cousin, She-Ra, got her own series spinning out of Masters of the Universe, and she too has been in and out of the popular consciousness for years. Both He-Man and She-Ra have had popular animated adaptations at Netflix in recent years.
Masters of the Universe will arrive in theaters on June 5.
