Masters of the Universe Movie 2026: Cast, Plot and Everything We Know

So here’s something that’s been nearly two decades in the making. The Masters of the Universe live action movie is finally happening, and the cast list alone is enough to make you do a double take.

Nicholas Galitzine is stepping into the role of Prince Adam, aka He-Man, and if you’ve seen him in Red, White & Royal Blue or The Idea of You, you’ll know he’s got the charisma for it. But can he pull off “most powerful man in the universe”? The trailer, which dropped on January 23rd, gives us our first proper look, and honestly? It’s intriguing. We find Adam living as a regular guy, working in a drab office on Earth, completely unaware of his true heritage. Think Clark Kent energy, but with a magical sword instead of a cape.

The story picks up with Adam having been separated from his home planet Eternia since he was ten years old, when a devastating civil war forced his mother to send him to Earth for his own protection. Almost two decades later, the Sword of Power draws him back to Eternia, where things have gone very, very wrong under Jared Leto’s Skeletor. And yes, you read that right. Jared Leto as Skeletor. Whatever you’re imagining right now, it’s probably not weird enough.

The supporting cast is where this gets really exciting. Idris Elba plays Duncan, aka Man-At-Arms, the orange armour wearing inventor and adoptive father of Teela. Camila Mendes takes on Teela herself, Captain of the Guards and Adam’s closest ally. Then there’s Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, who in a clever twist poses as Adam’s former college professor on Earth before revealing her true allegiance to Skeletor. Morena Baccarin plays the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, James Purefoy and Charlotte Riley are King Randor and Queen Marlena, and Kristen Wiig voices Roboto in a gender-flipped take on the character.

Oh, and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, the Mountain himself from Game of Thrones, plays Goat Man. A giant warrior goat. We’re not making this up.

Director Travis Knight is the real reason to pay attention here. This is the man behind Kubo and the Two Strings and Bumblebee, both of which proved he knows how to balance heart with spectacle. He’s been pretty upfront about the film’s tone too, acknowledging the inherent silliness of the source material and saying the team is fully embracing it rather than trying to make everything gritty and serious.

The screenplay comes from Chris Butler (who wrote ParaNorman and Missing Link), alongside Aaron and Adam Nee (The Lost City) and David Callaham (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). That’s a writing team that understands adventure, humour, and how to build a world without drowning you in exposition.

Mattel is clearly hoping this does for He-Man what Barbie did for, well, Barbie in 2023. If it lands, expect this to be the start of a much bigger franchise. The original toy line launched in 1982, and there’s a treasure trove of characters and lore to draw from. For now though, let’s see if they can nail this first outing.

The film was shot in London, with principal photography running from January to June 2025. Amazon MGM Studios handles the US and Canadian release, while Sony Pictures takes care of international distribution.

Masters of the Universe hits cinemas on June 5th, 2026. If you want to catch up before then, Prime Video has the original 1987 Dolph Lundgren film, plus the classic He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series from the ’80s and early 2000s.