The Masters of the Universe live-action film about He-Man and his comrades will not happen at Netflix. Alas, the streaming service chose to no longer move forward with the anticipated film. This news is quite shocking considering Netflix reportedly spent a whopping $30 million dollars on it. We even got some casting news a while back about Kyle Allen taking on the role of He-Man, also known as Prince Adam. The power of nostalgia is strong but apparently not strong enough. Right now, we have no further details about exactly why Netflix canceled the Masters of the Universe movie. But it is the latest setback in a long line of attempts to bring this story to the big screen. Still, there is some hope the movie will eventually see the light of day.
For those who may only be vaguely familiar with the contents of this canceled film, Masters of the Universe is set on the magical planet Eternia and details the ongoing conflict between the muscular and blonde bob-wearing He-Man—better known as Prince Adam, the son of Eternia’s rulers—and his arch nemesis Skeletor, an evil sorcerer. Even those who don’t know this world have seen a Skeletor meme or two on social media. The 1980s animated series holds a special place in a lot of fans’ hearts who thought they would finally get their beloved characters in live-action. Netflix even brought a sequel animated series, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, to life in 2021.
Now, with the Netflix deal canceled, Mattel is on the hunt for a new buyer for this Masters of the Universe live-action movie. Recent reports from Variety indicate that Amazon MGM Studios is seriously interested. Meanwhile, Deadline reveals that the movie is circling a new director, Travis Knight, and a new writer, Chris Butler, but despite these reports of momentum nothing is certain yet. So it will probably be a while before we hear any official good news, if it ever comes at all. Hopefully, He-Man will have the power to rise to live-action and wield his sword in his own movie one day.
Originally published on July 19, 2023.