Jared Leto to play ‘Masters of the Universe’s Skeletor

(Left) Actor Jared Leto arrives for the live ABC Telecast of The 87th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 22, 2015. arrives for the live ABC Telecast of The 87th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 22, 2015. Credit/Provider: Matt Petit / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S. (Right) 2011’s ‘Masters of the Universe: Revelation’. Photo: Netflix.

Preview:

Jared Leto will be Skeletor in the new ‘Masters of the Universe.’
Nicholas Galitzine and Camila Mendes are leading the cast.
‘Bumblebee’ director Travis Knight is overseeing the movie.

After years of torturous development –– documented lower down the page –– it would seem that the new ‘Masters of the Universe’ movie really is falling properly into place at last.

Not Yet RatedJun 5th, 2026

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Almost two decades after crashing down to Earth, Prince Adam is whisked back across space to defend his home planet of Eternia against the evil forces of Skeletor…. Read the Plot

Nicholas Galitzine playing the heroic central figure of He-Man, Camila Mendes signed to be warrior woman Teela and Alison Brie has the role of the villainous Evil-Lyn.

More recently, ‘Luther’ and ‘The Suicide Squad’ actor Idris Elba entered talks to be Man-at-Arms, and it would seem he is also now in place.

Yet one big, central casting piece remained unannounced… that of He-Man’s bony, scheming nemesis, Skeletor. Reporter Jeff Sneider first brought word that Jared Leto had been offered the role of the cackling baddie back in September and the actor’s deal has now closed, since Leto has been officially announced.

What has happened with the movie’s development so far?

‘Masters of the Universe’ toys. Photo: Mattel.

‘He-Man and the Masters of the Universe’ follows Prince Adam, who has a magic sword that turns him into the powerful He-Man. He and his comrades (including Teela, the Captain of the Royal Guard) must protect the planet of Eternia from the evil machinations of villain Skeletor (whose acolytes include Evil-Lyn).

A live-action big screen version in 1987 starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor flopped at the box office, which scuttled a planned sequel.

The new live-action version has torn a path through filmmakers and studios. Directors such as ‘Face/Off’s John Woo, ‘Wicked’s Jon M. Chu and ‘Truth Or Dare’s Jeff Wadlow have been attached at one time or another, but the movie has always fallen apart.

Netflix was the most recent company to try, hiring directing siblings Adam and Aaron Nee, the duo behind 2015’s indie movie ‘Band of Robbers’ and 2022’s ‘The Lost City’, who were also attached to a Sony attempt, working on the script with ‘Man Of Steel’s David S. Goyer.

Amazon MGM Studios has the rights now, with ‘Bumblebee’ director Travis Knight in charge, and that version is now in actual pre-production with a shoot planned for next year.

What’s the story for the new ‘Masters of the Universe’ movie?

‘Masters of the Universe’ toys. Photo: Mattel.

Knight is working from a new draft of the script by Chris Butler –– to whom he’s already connected, as Butler has written or directed several animated movies produced by Knight’s Laika studio.

And the story itself remains the biggest mystery here. While it’s expected to stick to some sort of conflict between He-Man and Skeletor, there has been a rumored plotline floating around, albeit one that has seen zero confirmation from either the studio or filmmakers.

Still, if you’re interested, it reportedly revolves around 9–year-old Prince Adam crashing to Earth in a spaceship and being separated from his Magical Sword –– the only link to his home on Eternia.

After tracking it down almost two decades later, Adam is whisked back across space to defend his home planet against the evil forces of Skeletor. But to defeat such a powerful villain, Prince Adam first will need to uncover the mysteries of his past and become He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe.

Who else has been cast in ‘Masters of the Universe’?

(Left) Alison Brie as Amber in ‘Spin Me Round.’ (Right) Evil-Lyn from ‘Masters of the Universe: Revolution’. Photo: Netflix.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a trio of actors is joining Leto on his evil crusade.

With Brie already in place as his sorceress lieutenant, we now know that Sam C. Wilson will fill the part of Trap Jaw, Hafthor Bjornsson will play Goat Man and Kojo Attah has landed the role of Tri-Klops.

Wilson has been seen in shows such as ‘House of the Dragon’ and ‘Dodger,’ while Bjornsson is probably best known as ‘Game of Thrones’ Gregor ‘The Mountain’ Clegane. He has also appeared in ‘The Northman’ and ‘Operation Ragnarok.’

Attah, meanwhile, counts the likes of ‘The Beekeeper,’ ‘Wrath of Man’ and in a slightly less action-heavy category, UK crime series ‘Midsomer Murders’ among his credits.

What else have we seen Jared Leto?

Presenter Jared Leto arrives at The 88th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 28, 2016. Credit/Provider: Phil McCarten / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: Scott Diussa.

Leto, an Oscar winner for ‘Dallas Buyers Club,’ has forged quite the acting career alongside his frontman status in rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars.

Having launched his on-screen work in the 1990s, he broke out big in ‘My So-Called Life’ and counts the likes of ‘Fight Club,’ ‘American Psycho,’ ‘Panic Room,’ ‘Requiem for a Dream’ and ‘The Thin Red Line’ on his impressive resume.

In genre terms, he’s been seen as the Joker in ‘Suicide Squad’ (though his performance was vastly overshadowed by the likes of Heath Ledger) and ‘Blade Runner 2049,’ while more recent efforts such as ‘Morbius’ and Disney’s latest attempt to redo ‘The Haunted Mansion’ have frankly been met with even less success.

He’ll be hoping for better results with Skeletor and also his appearance as the title character in the next ‘Tron’ movie, ‘Tron: Ares,’ which will arrive in theaters in October 2025.