Masters of the Universe Set Report: What We Learned About 2026’s He-Man Reboot

by

Almost four decades ago, Gary Goddard and Cannon Films introduced He-Man, Skeletor, and the rest of the Masters of the Universe to the big screen. While it’s become a beloved cult classic, the long wait for a remake speaks volumes. There have been many tries – it’s a rich fantasy world with a dedicated fanbase, enduring characters, and plenty of history, and Masters of the Universe toys are still popular. It seems the challenge was finding the right team at the right moment. After speaking with the creators of the 2026 reboot – a collaboration between Mattel Films and Amazon Studios – it’s clear they believe they’ve finally achieved that.

Travis Knight, known for his work with the stop-motion animation studio LAIKA and the well-received film Bumblebee, is directing this summer’s Masters of the Universe. He recently discussed his long-time fandom with the press, including ComicBook’s Chris Killian, at a pre-CinemaCon event.

I’ve always been a fan first, and a filmmaker second. So, when I get to work on projects I loved growing up, it’s really important to me to capture what made them special and honor that original feeling. You see a lot of adaptations made by people who don’t seem to truly understand or appreciate the source material, and I think a filmmaker has to genuinely love the property they’re working on. They need to truly believe in it and give it their all. I’ve said it before, but I sincerely love He-Man, and that’s exactly what you want to hear from the director of a beloved franchise.

When filming for Masters of the Universe took place in London in 2025, ComicBook got an exclusive look at the movie’s production. We spoke with producer Jason Blumenthal, production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas, and costume designer Richard Sale, and it was immediately obvious how passionate they all were about He-Man. Everyone on set, and everything we’ve seen from the film so far, shows a dedication to detail. This movie is clearly a passion project, and the team is committed to both respecting the original story and making it feel authentic, even with some updates.

Masters of the Universe is Travis Knight’s Labor of Love

According to Jason Blumenthal, the Masters of the Universe movie wasn’t just made by a director – it was made by a true fan with the filmmaking talent to bring it to life. He explains that director Travis felt a deep connection to the franchise, stating, ‘Travis didn’t just want to make this movie, he needed to.’ These weren’t simply toys to him; the characters were like friends he grew up with. Now, being in charge of the entire universe is a perfect fit, and Blumenthal is grateful he’s the one leading it, as he’s the ideal person to protect and develop the brand.

As a fan myself, I really appreciated hearing the director, Knight, talk about his approach to this film. He called it a dream project, but he was determined not to just cram it full of fan service. He realized that doing too much would actually hurt the story. He explained that while many characters were considered, he had to stay focused on the main character’s journey – Adam’s story – and that adding too many elements would dilute everything. He really wanted to avoid making a movie that felt like pure, irresponsible fanboy indulgence instead of a well-made film. He even admitted he wanted to include the iconic character Merman, but ultimately decided it didn’t serve the story. Honestly, I think he made the right call, prioritizing the film’s needs over his own desires. Hopefully, we’ll see Merman make an appearance in a future installment!

The dedication to Masters of the Universe extended to the entire film crew, as producer Blumethal explained. He’d never worked on a project where everyone was so personally connected to the source material – crew members were proudly wearing vintage Masters of the Universe t-shirts and sharing their childhood toys. Roughly 90% of the team, including a significant number of women, grew up with the brand, either playing with the toys themselves or knowing someone who did. Blumethal noted that everyone involved was part of the generation that experienced the original Masters of the Universe, and working on this film felt special because of that shared nostalgia. The art team even went the extra mile, creating an entire fictional language called Eternian, which they displayed on set as a hidden Easter egg – viewers who learn the language can translate text appearing in the background of the movie.

Masters of Universe’s Commitment to Detail Was Stunning

The team’s experience really showed through on the London set, revealing an incredibly detailed and intricate creative process. As Blumenthal explained, everything – from props and costumes down to the smallest details like belt buckles and guns – was custom-made specifically for the film. They didn’t use anything pre-made; instead, they built it all from scratch in a 40,000 square foot factory right across the street. This allowed them to design something on set and have a 3D model, and eventually the finished product, all created in-house, often within the same day.

The team behind the production is focused on impressive numbers, and they’ve delivered. They built a massive 40,000-square-foot factory for production, and the detailed ship model, Teela’s ship, weighs 24,000 pounds – it’s so realistic it almost seems like it could fly! Even transforming actor Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (known for his strength and role in Game of Thrones) into the character of Goat Man took eight hours. No expense was spared, and the producers used GoPro cameras to capture the immense scale of everything built from scratch. As the producer states, this project is unlike anything he’s ever worked on in terms of size and the sheer amount of custom-built sets and props.

When Nathan Blumenthal passed the design responsibilities to Guy Hendrix Dyas, he highly praised him, explaining that Dyas was the creator of the comprehensive design guide for the Master of the Universe production. Blumenthal noted that Dyas had carefully documented every design idea – even those that didn’t pan out – providing invaluable inspiration and a clear record of the project’s evolution from its initial stages to the elaborate production it had become. Dyas, whom Kevin Smith affectionately calls “extraordinary,” considers himself part of the first generation of MoTU fans and shares a deep passion for the franchise.

When I started working with Travis on this project, we quickly connected over our shared passion for the He-Man franchise. We realized that, while the original series was often seen as campy and a bit silly – even the name ‘He-Man’ and ‘Green Tiger’ feel that way – we wanted to create a truly immersive and realistic world. Our goal was to build a universe that could stand alongside franchises like Star Wars and Marvel. We decided to begin by imagining everything was real. We wanted to move past the exaggerated character designs and bright colors of the original animation and focus on developing each character into a complex, believable person. That was essentially my first task on the production.

Dyas is incredibly passionate, and that energy really came through in the production. His designs were so good, they actually led to one character getting more screen time. Goat Man was originally meant to appear only briefly, but after Dyas presented his impressive design – a large, uniquely made-up character – the filmmakers decided to expand his role. This will likely surprise fans, as Goat Man is a minor character in the comics. This highlights how valuable it is to have such dedicated creative input.

Masters of the Universe Had To Get the Right Balance in Adaptation

Everyone agrees on one key goal when it comes to updating the original material: they wanted to honor the fans and stay true to the source material, but not be limited by it. Costume designer Richard Sale put it simply: “We really wanted to be faithful to the original, and that’s what we aimed for, while also making some updates.” Even early on, as Guy Hendrix Dyas discussed the project with Travis Knight, they understood what they needed to accomplish, despite the limitations of the original toys and animation.

As fans ourselves, we promised each other we wouldn’t let down the people who love these characters. We really wanted to get Skeletor, and everyone’s favorite character – whether it’s Mecha Neck or someone else – looking exactly right. That meant nailing the character designs and colors. I carried that commitment to all the vehicles too, which was tough – especially when you’re designing a pink helicopter!

The new adaptation isn’t simply about making the characters look like their live-action counterparts. According to Dyas, the action is as impressive as the artistic effort put into it. He notes some action scenes are incredibly intense, questioning whether it’s appropriate for a PG-13 rating, but also praises the inclusion of humor, creating a good balance. The creators aimed to capture the original’s nostalgic charm while also modernizing it where needed. When designing the city of Eternos, Dyas deliberately avoided relying too heavily on his childhood memories, noting there wasn’t much original animation to begin with. This allowed him the freedom to expand on and creatively interpret elements that hadn’t been fully explored before.

Any changes made to the show were always focused on improving the story or making sense within the reimagined world. Even details like whether He-Man (played by Nicholas Galitzine) would show nipples were carefully considered, according to Richard Sale. Famously, this version of He-Man doesn’t wear the iconic furry shorts – although the team initially tricked Galitzine into thinking he would.

We explored many different designs for the characters and their outfits. For example, we went through about eighty versions of what the main character would wear on his lower half – things like trousers versus armor. We kept refining the look, but it never quite felt right, and we quickly decided against anything with fur. We even jokingly told Nick, one of the actors, that he’d be wearing furry pants for a while, and also considered a very tight, fur-trimmed look. Ultimately, though, we went in a different direction with the costume design.

Skeletor’s design received a makeover as well. The creators decided to move away from his original costume, which resembled a reversed version of He-Man’s, and instead focus on making him visually connected to his lair, Snake Mountain. They removed the cross-strap bone design because they felt it made Skeletor too similar to He-Man – essentially a dark mirror image. While they wanted to downplay the bone motif slightly, they still incorporated snake skeletons into the design to maintain a connection to his skeletal appearance and the theme of Snake Mountain.

If a sequel happens, we might see more traditional costumes, according to Sale. She suggests that characters could evolve their looks over time, hinting that what we saw in the first film isn’t necessarily their only form. These characters have a past and will likely have a future, allowing for changes and development. For example, as He-Man grows more powerful, his costume could change in a future installment.

Knight explained that he really wanted to capture the essence of Skeletor’s crazed voice from the original cartoon, but without simply imitating it. He shared how he worked with Jared Leto to create the final, unique voice we’ll hear in the movie. This process highlights the care and dedication put into making these well-known characters appealing to a wider audience.

The creators of the character Alan Oppenheimer needed a voice that didn’t sound intimidating for a children’s cartoon, despite his frightening appearance. They intentionally developed a goofy, comical, and nasal voice to make the character seem less scary. When working with Jared, we wanted to capture the essence of the original – his unique voice and laugh – but avoid simply copying it.

We did not want it to be him doing an impression of Alan Oppenheimer, and so he, and it was important for him to get the voice right. So there was a lot of exploration to figure out, OK, what does Skeletor sound like? And then ultimately we arrived at this, which I love because I think it has, it has menace, it has theatricality, which is always a part of Skeletor. He was always putting on a show and then being disappointed when he didn’t get the response that he wanted. Ultimately, he’s a very insecure man, and that becomes a part of his character. He’s a power-hungry man who’s deeply insecure, and that was a fun thing to kind of dive into and figure out, you know, how we could dramatize that character. He’s incredibly fun to watch… He’s horrible, but he’s really, really entertaining.”

As a lifelong fan of Masters of the Universe, I can honestly say any changes they’ve made feel really well thought out. Hearing Kevin Dyas talk about his decisions, especially when dealing with some of the more… let’s say unconventional aspects of the original series, you really get the sense he’s a fan wrestling with staying true to the spirit of what he loves. For example, Skeletor’s Roton got a redesign because, honestly, the original animated version was a little ridiculous. It just goes to show how incredibly tricky this whole project is – balancing nostalgia with making something that feels modern and works.

The original roton design was pretty simple – basically a barrel with red eyes and a spinning saw. The challenge was making that look cool. We started with the saw and imagined what would happen if it were part of a gyroscopic system, creating a vehicle that could rotate around the occupant. I’ve made a point of keeping the vehicles true to the original toys and animation’s color schemes, which has been surprisingly fun for me as a designer. I usually design spaceships in traditional colors like steel or gray, but this project allowed me to break away from that.

When Masters of the Universe is released on June 5th, you’ll be able to see the incredible amount of work that went into it. It’s a testament to Jason Blumenthal’s strong leadership, Travis Knight’s dedication to pleasing both longtime fans and new viewers, Guy Hendrix Dyas’ detailed planning, and Richard Sale’s commitment to perfecting every detail. It already sounds like a truly impressive film.

Read More

2026-05-18 19:16