Masters of the Universe movie set at Amazon with Bumblebee director, might actually get made
Hey, it could potentially turn out fine.
A new live-action adaptation of Masters of the Universe has been in the works for what feels like forever, but it's now getting close to finally happening, and Amazon MGM Studios is backing it - with some interesting talent attached.
After Netflix shut down costly development on the movie last year, Mattel was quick to team up with Amazon to give the project yet another refresh (it's been floating around since 2017). This makes sense, as the toy giant has been trying to get as many projects based on its IPs as possible off the ground ever since Barbie defied all our collective expectations last year and broke box office records.
Deadline shared the exclusive news that Kubo and the Two Strings and Bumblebee director Travis Knight was circling the project earlier this year. Now, Variety is reporting that Mattel Films and Amazon have dated the movie for a theatrical release on June 5, 2026, meaning they're quite serious about the current iteration of the project, which is written by Knight's partner Chris Butler (ParaNorman, Kubo and the Two Strings).
Having a filmmaker with a highly celebrated animation background tackle a famous IP in live-action is the kind of move that has often paid off in the past. For example, Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) gifted us the amazing fourquel Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and Knight himself wowed even the most hopeless cinephiles with Bumblebee, a 'small' Transformers prequel which is widely considered the franchise's best live-action entry due to its uncomplicated nature, clean action, and massive heart.
The official synopsis reads as follows: "Masters of the Universe introduces a 10-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!" In case you were wondering - no, this will have no ties to Netflix's recent animated sequel series.
The previous iteration of the project which was scrapped at Netflix had the Nee brothers (The Lost City) at the helm and Kyle Allen (West Side Story) announced to star in it as Adam/He-Man. It remains to be seen whether Travis Knight's take on the property will keep the main actor around or do a hard reset. Regardless, the casting process should heat up in the coming months if the powers that be are aiming for a big summer 2026 release.