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 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
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
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.