Amazon MGM has unveiled a soaring aerial-combat sequence for its adaptation of Masters of the Universe, a project led by director Travis Knight with Nicholas Galitzine in the role of He-Man.
It’s a bold bet to revive the Masters of the Universe license and position it as a serious challenger in the global box office race. What began as a line of Mattel plastic action figures intended to empty parents’ wallets evolved into a string of toy commercials before giving birth to the 1987 He-Man movie with Dolph Lundgren, and later resurfaced on Netflix with Masters of the Universe: Revelation. All told, sinking between $175 million and $200 million into this whole venture was, to put it mildly, a gamble.
That was the plan, though, to entrust this hefty legacy to Travis Knight, best known for the solid ParaNorman and Kubo and the Two Strings. Against all odds, the initial critical chatter from American reviewers about the 2026 He-Man film has been unusually warm and eager. Unfortunately, French audiences won’t be getting a theatrical release for Masters of the Universe; they’ll instead be treated to a trailer glimpse that hints as much at Star Wars as it does at Flash Gordon.
Masters of the Universe Goes Full Throttle
The sequence in question drops us aboard a ship deftly piloted by Teela (Camila Mendes). Beside her, the newly crowned He-Man, Prince Adam, endures relentless attacks from Skeletor’s minions. Cramped in the back of the cockpit, a disarmed Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba) has his armor stripped away and watches, powerless, as the heroes scramble to stay ahead of the villains.
To break free from the predicament, He-Man leaps onto a flying motorcycle—the iconic Sky Sled beloved by toy collectors. After a brief moment of hesitation and a touch of clumsiness, Prince Adam/He-Man plunges toward the hostile fleet. While the sequence nods to the Star Wars speeder chases, the overall mood more closely evokes the legendary escape of Sam Jones in the 1980 Flash Gordon film.
Visually lively, pulpy, and evidently heavy on the visual effects, Masters of the Universe builds its look around a starry cast designed to reel in audiences. In addition to the leads—Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man and Camila Mendes as Teela—the production pulls in serious names: Idris Elba as Master of Arms/Man-at-Arms, Morena Baccarin as the Sorceress, and a visibly amped Jared Leto as Skeletor.
This epic mission to free Eternia from the skeletal tyrant hits theaters on June 5. In France, however, the film will bypass cinemas and land directly on streaming at a later date.
