Are viewers craving camp again? Or is removing the cartoony glitz from Masters of the Universe the right approach? The filmmakers behind this new version of the iconic He-Man story will find out soon enough, as the long-awaited film is just a year away now.
The Amazon MGM Studios project might take the latter route and choose a more serious tone for the updated Masters of the Universe. Given the inherently silly tone of any other He-Man installment, this could prove interesting.
While chatting with THR, the film’s star, Nicholas Galitzine, discussed this decision and expressed his feelings from a production standpoint. The outlet started by asking the young actor if he was familiar with the campy stylings of the original cartoon.
“Look, what I will say is our version is quite different from the original animation, which we all agree was camp within its own right and worked so well for the time,” the actor explained. “But there’s been a couple of iterations, obviously, since there was the Revelation version of Masters of the Universe and the comics themselves.”
“We’re very much treating our script as a Bible, you know. But it’s kind of amazing to hear what this show meant to a lot of people,” adds Galitzine. “It was really formative for a lot of people, so it’s exciting to do something that will have a nostalgia element as well as hopefully attract a bunch of new fans.”
This tone shift sounds like the late-00s and early 2010s trend of stripping back cartoony bits of childhood nostalgia-riddled projects or comic book adaptations to win over a bigger demographic. Think The Dark Knight, Michael Bay’s Transformers, the G.I. Joe film series, and countless other examples. While it once worked, it seems now more than ever that audiences will accept the silly again. Denying viewers a bit of fun, especially when expected from the IP, could prove disastrous. As a counter to that, Bumblebee director Travis Knight is helming the movie, and he found a way to blend tones and styles very well.
It will be up to the viewers on what tone works for them, but going the route of subverting expectations seemingly went out in 2017 (IYKYK), so finding a way to service the ones craving a bold new take and those hungry for what they loved as a child will prove to be tricky.
Galitzine will take on the role of Eternia’s greatest warrior and face off against Jared Leto, who will star as Skeletor. Joining them will be Camila Mendes as Teela, Idris Elba as Man-at-Arms, Sam C. Wilson as Trap Jaw, Kojo Attah as Tri-Klops, Hafthor Bjornsson as Goat Man, and Alison Brie as Skeletor’s lieutenant, Evil-Lyn.
Masters of the Universe arrives in theaters on June 5, 2026.
