After spending a couple of decades in development hell, a live-action feature film adaptation of Masters of the Universe finally made its way through production with Nicholas Galitzine (Red, White and Royal Blue) in the role of Adam / He-Man. Coming our way from Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel Studios, the film received a theatrical release last month – but the box office numbers were sadly underwhelming. The movie has only made $113 million at the worldwide box office. Maybe it will have better luck in the streaming world. We’ll find out soon, because Deadline reports that Masters of the Universe will begin streaming on Prime Video on Wednesday, July 22.
What is Masters of the Universe about?
Bumblebee director Travis Knight is at the helm of this new take on Masters of Universe, working from a screenplay by Chris Butler that’s based on earlier drafts by Dave Callaham and formerly attached directors Aaron and Adam Nee. Alex Litvak and Michael Finch also have story credit. The story follows ten-year-old Prince Adam who crashed to Earth in a spaceship and was separated from his magical Power Sword—the only link to his home on Eternia. After tracking it down almost two decades later, Prince Adam is whisked back across space to defend his home planet against the evil forces of Skeletor. But to defeat such a powerful villain, Prince Adam will first need to uncover the mysteries of his past and become He-Man: the most powerful man in the Universe.
Here’s the official synopsis: After being separated for 15 years, the Sword of Power leads Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) back to Eternia where he discovers his home shattered under the fiendish rule of Skeletor (Jared Leto). To save his family and his world, Adam must join forces with his closest allies, Teela (Camila Mendes) and Duncan/Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), and embrace his true destiny as He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe.
Who’s in the cast?
Galitzine is joined in the cast by
- Camila Mendes (Riverdale) as Teela
- Jared Leto (Morbius) as the villainous Skeletor
- Idris Elba (Luther) as Man-at-Arms (a.k.a. Duncan)
- GLOW‘s Alison Brie as Skeletor’s right hand woman Evil-Lyn
- Morena Baccarin (Deadpool & Wolverine) as The Sorceress
- Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson (Captain America: Brave New World) as Malcolm (a.k.a. Fisto)
- Sam C. Wilson (Dodger) as Trap Jaw
- Hafthor Bjornsson (Game of Thrones) as Goat Man
- Kojo Attah (The Beekeeper) as Tri-Klops
- Jon Xue Zhang (The Brothers Sun) as Ram-Man
- Stephen Adentan (Gladiator II) as Moss Man
- James Purefoy (A Knight’s Tale) as King Randor
- Charlotte Riley (Peaky Blinders) as Queen Marlena
- Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids) provides the voice of Roboto
All of those names will be familiar to fans of the Masters of the Universe franchise – and then we have Sasheer Zamata (Agatha All Along) and Christian Vunipola (Wildflower) as a pair of new characters, Suzie and Hussein. Dolph Lundgren – who played He-Man in the previous live-action Masters of the Universe film, released in 1987 – shows up for a cameo.
The new Masters of the Universe has been produced by Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Robbie Brenner, Steve Tisch, and DeVon Franklin, with Ynon Kreiz, Bill Bannerman, and David Bloomfield serving as executive producers.
Will you be watching Masters of the Universe when it starts streaming on Prime Video? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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