Masters of the Universe: First Footage from Amazon MGM Movie Revealed Incredibly Toy-Accurate Designs
At CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Amazon MGM gave attendees a first look at what to expect from next year’s new Masters of the Universe film - and what they showed was very promising.
At CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Amazon MGM gave attendees a first look at what to expect from next year’s new Masters of the Universe film - and what they showed was very promising.
With the film only recently beginning production, no actual completed footage was shown, but rather a message from set from director Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings, Bumblebee) and stars Nicholas Galitzine (“He-Man”) and Camila Mendes (“Teela”), followed by a montage of behind-the-scenes/on-set footage mixed with production artwork.
Knight noted he grew up a huge Masters of the Universe fan, which feels apparent seeing the designs for the film, which are incredibly accurate to the original toy line and animated series from the 1980s - much like what Knight did in Bumblebee with the Transformers. Production artwork of characters like the Sorceress (Morena Baccarin) and Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie) looked right out of the source material and were instantly recognizable.
Some of the characters actually shown on set in the midst of production included Trap Jaw (Sam C. Wilson) and Tri-Klops (Kojo Attah), and it was amazing how much they truly looked like the original toys in a slightly more modernized form, with someone like Trap Jaw still retaining all of his recognizable elements, including his gun arm, blue body and green face - and yes, a trap jaw! It appears Knight has managed the delicate balancing act of keeping these bigger than life characters looking wild and cool, without feeling too goofy in live-action form.
Brief on set footage of Jared Leto as Skeletor kept him in the shadows, but production art and glimpses of makeup being applied indicate he will likely also be sporting the character’s blue skin from the toy line, unlike the version in the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie.
Galitzine looked appropriately buff and blond to play He-Man, having gained a lot of muscle mass from how he looked in movies like Red, White & Royal Blue and Bottoms, and we saw glimpses of the weight and fight training he’s gone through for the film - and got a look at He-Man’s iconic Power Sword, looking appropriately intimidating. We also saw Mendes getting in some stunt work, including running along a wall with the aid of a harness.
The only thing that felt odd, given He-Man’s typical fictional background, were moments on set showing Adam, He-Man’s alter-ego, in what looked like an American suburban bedroom. The 1987 film notably saved money by having most of the story involve He-Man transported to Earth, but it feels very unlikely that will occur again here, as we saw huge sets had been built for Eternia in the footage. But is there some sort of set-up with Adam mistakenly believing he’s an Earthling initially for some reason? That might explain the role Agatha All Along’s Sasheer Zamata is playing, a character with the very normal-sounding name “Suzie,” who has been described as Adam’s best friend.
Time will tell, with Masters of the Universe set to open June 5, 2026.
