Great Gwildor’s beard! Industry insider Jeff Sneider is sending shockwaves through Grayskull this Wednesday by saying Jared Leto is reportedly getting offered the role of Skeletor in Amazon’s upcoming Masters of the Universe. Bumblebee‘s Travis Knight directs the live-action adaptation of Mattel’s beloved action figure franchise from a script by Chris Butler (Paranorman, Kubo and the Two Strings, Missing Link), with Nicholas Galitzine leading the film as He-Man, Camila Mendes as the virtuous warrior Teela, and Alison Brie as the villainess Evil-Lyn.
The InSneider says Academy Award-winning actor Jared Leto could play the skull-faced, blue-skinned thorn in He-Man’s side. Leto would command his army of iconic henchmen while shaking his fist and cackling, wielding influence and magic like the malevolent sorcerer fans know him to be. In his relentless pursuit of power, Skeletor longs to learn the secrets of Castle Grayskull and conquer the land of Eternia to feed his ego and seemingly limitless power.
Frank Langella played Skeletor in 1987’s Masters of the Universe, which starred Dolph Lundgren as He-Man. Langella’s performance is the stuff of legend, and the actor’s incredible prosthetic makeup is a highlight of the often unappreciated adaptation.
Leto is an interesting choice, given his complicated history of playing villains on the big screen. Leto’s Joker from David Ayer’s Suicide Squad is the most divisive incarnation of the classic character, and his Michael Morbius of Sony’s Morbius was panned universally by Spider-Man fans. It’s not as if Leto doesn’t have the chops to play Skeletor. He’s an Academy Award-winning actor with stand-out performances in movies like House of Gucci, Dallas Buyer’s Club, and Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream. He could bring much to Travis Knight’s Masters of the Universe if given inspired material. In the years since He-Man’s heyday, Skeletor has become a bit of a meme lord. Leto can bring fear back to the character and put Prince Adam through his paces. We’d love to see it.
What do you think about Jared Leto possibly playing Skeletor in Travis Knight’s Masters of the Universe? If Sneider’s report turns out to be false, who could you cast as the bad guy made of bones? Let us know in the comments section below.
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