Masters of the Universe: Is the new movie gearing up to make the same mistakes as the 1987 film 

After the massive success of Barbie, Mattel is all set to take things up a notch and bring Masters of the Universe to the screen once again, marking it the second Masters of the Universe film after the previous one dropped close to four decades ago.

Based on Mattel's hit franchise, the new film is based on Chris Butler's script, who has previously worked on Academy Award nominated projects like ParaNorman and Missing Link. The film stars Nicolas Galitzine as Prince Adam/He-Man while Camila Mendes stars as Teela. Joining them is Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Idris Elba as Man-At-Arms, Morena Baccarin as The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Malcolm / Fisto, and Jared Leto as Skeletor.

Although set photos for the project look promising, one confusion has been looming in most fans' minds as many pointed out that the premise of the new film looks like it's set on Earth..again. Having the location of the story as Planet Earth was one of the major decisions the studio took in 1987 that led to the film getting a lukewarm response.

In the comics, the planet of Eternia holds close significance for He-Man as most of his heroic endeavors take place on the planet. Limiting the character's geographical location will certainly have an effect on the film's success as fans have waited for the Eternian hero for years.

It could also be that the film has a few significant scenes set on Earth while most of it is actually set in Eternia. Nevertheless, details are being kept under wraps for now as the studio is still undergoing production.

More details on Masters of the Universe

Initially the film was all set to be picked up by Netflix in 2022, who cast Kyle Allen as He-Man and the actor had already started working on his role. Aaron and Adam Nee were set to direct while David Callahan wrote the script. A year later in 2023, Netflix backed out of the project owing to financial reasons and the film was picked up by Amazon's MGM Studios. Travis Knight joined in as the new director while Chris Butler wrote the script.

As for the cast and crew attached to the film, it does look rather promising. Knight has previously worked on Bumblebee. A recipient of three Academy Award nominations, Galitzine and Mendes have both been attached to acclaimed work.

In a recent interview with Collider, the actress opened up on being a part of the film, saying,

"Yeah, I mean, to be honest, I've always dreamed of being in a project like this, and there's something that is so special about it because it doesn't have the same fanbase as Marvel or DC. It feels like it's a fresh superhero universe. It hasn't really been reinvented in a long time. It's exciting to create this world and in a less pressured environment."

Masters of the Universe is set to release on June 5, 2026.