Travis Knight’s ‘Masters of the Universe’ Gets CinemaCon Reveal With Exclusive Footage
Nicholas Galitzine is seen hulking up in a sizzle reel as a filmmaker praises his prep, “He is transforming.”
April 2, 2025
CinemaCon got a major first look at Masters of the Universe.
Amazon MGM Studios took the veil off the anticipated film from director Travis Knight by showing off a sizzle reel of the cast and creative collaborators on set, offering the first time they’ve been seen in their costumes. The views that hit the big screen featured massive London sets with intricate backdrops, swords and accessories and He-Man in his full blonde glory with his hair blowing in the wind.
The film based on the popular toy line — from Mattel Films and Escape Artists — stars Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson and Charlotte Riley, with Jared Leto (as Skeletor, not shown tonight) and Idris Elba (who was shown in his costumed glory). Plot details have not been revealed though it’s known that Knight is directing from a screenplay by Chris Butler based on a story by Aaron Nee, Adam Nee and Dave Callaham.
Knight, Galitzine and Mendes kicked off the sizzle, recorded from the London set, as they took turns explaining that they are teaming to create an “epic” movie with characters to set the scale. Knight explains that his passion for the universe dates back to childhood or “pretty much my entire life.” So much so that he “lived and breathed” the story and once even had a He-Man haircut.
The reel featured many of the filmmaker’s creative team, including producer Jason Blumenthal who said the project marks a “rebirth of this incredible world,” adding that “the scale is massive.”
Set pieces that were shown included the planet Eternia and He-Man’s iconic Sword of Power as well as character costumes. “We’re not making a cartoon here, we’re making a live-action fantasy film,” the filmmaker said. Other shots showed Galitzine’s rigorous training that included sword play and weight lifting. “He is transforming, it is amazing to watch,” Blumenthal praised. The reel closed with a close-up of Galitzine in his He-Man garb with the blonde locks that drew cheers from the crowd.
Masters of the Universe is scheduled to hit theaters next summer on June 5, 2026. Mattel launched the Masters of the Universe franchise with a line of action figures in 1982. A year later, an animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe premiered in syndication and was followed by video games and other merchandise.
CinemaCon, the annual gathering of cinema owners and Hollywood studios, is hosted in Las Vegas by the newly rebranded Cinema United, which for decades was known as the National Association of Theatre Owners. This year’s edition runs from March 31 to April 3.