As this is the age of live-action cinematic adaptations of favourite 1980s classics, it’s a moment of nostalgia and eager anticipation to see the cast of Masters of the Universe. Leading the way are Nicholas Galitzine and Camila Mendes as He-Man and Teela, respectively, and the roles they’ll embody on screen and the process of bringing Eternia to life.
From the cathode-ray realms of 1980s toy-inspired television to 21st-century Hollywood, the saga of getting ‘Masters of the Universe’ heroes such as He-Man and Teela onto the big screen is the stuff of legend. First nurtured at Warner Bros and Sony, the project migrated to Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel Films, and is now set for lift-off: directed by Travis Knight from a script by Chris Butler, the film’s long-awaited debut is on track for a jump to warp speed.
‘Masters of the Universe’ has at its source the story of Prince Adam, a youth crash-landed on Earth from his home planet, Eternia: charged with destiny, transformed by power, engaged in epic combat against evil – not to mention his nemesis, Skeletor – Prince Adam thrusts his magical Power Sword through the air and shouts ‘By the power of Grayskull!’ and thus becomes He-Man, protector of his home and the most powerful being in the Universe!
The emo-hero Nicholas Galitzine, whose last role was a frenemy in the YA miniseries Jackie, will play He-Man: if anyone could bring the intensity of feeling and prowess of a champion to the role, it would be him. Camila Mendes, who plays Veronica in Riverdale, will play Teela, the warrior princess whose bravery is light itself, Eternia’s literal North Star. The adaptation promises action, magic and good-versus-evil fun in a cartoon beloved of those of us who were just a little too young to be seated in a dark theatre.
It’s a film that all of us, a true constellation of creativity, are poised to bring to life for an audience ready to return to the fantasy world of their youth. We’re under the direction of Travis Knight, the director who’s going to make this version of Eternia come to life; under a script from Chris Butler, who we all know has a very creative imagination; and from a company called Escape Artists and a subsidiary of Escape Artists called Mattel Films.’ Masters of the Universe is slated for release on 16 September 2021.
Mark your calendars. On 5 June 2026, Masters of the Universe will be released in theatres across the world. A date destined to live in infamy for fans of the franchise, a date certain for film fans everywhere who want to soar across the cosmos, and through time and space, and, more importantly, through the hearts of everyday heroes.
In anticipating the upcoming film featuring a re-invented Eternia and its champions, it is vital that we remember that this strange home is the source of their fight, the home where our heroes are formed – a home to endure and excel. When Eternia returns to our screens, it will return as an action movie, but it will also come back endowed with the deepest meanings of home nested in the hearts of all its characters. Home, the film promises, ‘is where you find it’, and what we, and they, are being encouraged to find is not simply a place, but a feeling. Eternia, as presented here, is about the place from which one moves, the fight to get home, and the return to a place where one is much stronger than they ever expected to be, and finds the power within to defend that home.
In this way, the storytelling arc of the film, from announcement to execution, mimics the storytelling arc of its characters, a search for home, identity and meaning. Prepare yourselves for the remake of Masters of the Universe, and ready your senses to return to Eternia and, perhaps, in its vistas and struggles, to pick up where you left off in your own, discovering something new about the meaning of home and how we fight to keep it.
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