See the cast of the live-action “Masters of the Universe” movie with the animated characters they play

After almost 40 years, Eternia is once again getting the live-action treatment.

In 1987, Masters of the Universe, the first live-action movie based on the Mattel action figures, was released in theaters. However, despite a great deal of fan passion, it was far from a success. Starring Dolph Lundgren, Courteney Cox, and Frank Langella, the film was a notorious box office bomb.

He-Man and his cohort might be better recognized from their cartoon versions. The toys were first adapted into the successful animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and despite the failure of the movie, the characters have continued to thrive in animated and comic spaces. The series eventually got a revival on Netflix as well.

Now, Hollywood is giving He-Man, Skeletor, and the rest of the gang another chance at box office glory with a brand-new live-action adaptation. The plot of 2026’s Masters of the Universe follows Prince Adam, a young warrior who discovers his true destiny with the Sword of Power as he faces off against the evil Skeletor. Ultimately, Adam must save his land by becoming the all-powerful He-Man.

The movie stars fresh faces like Bottoms’ Nicholas Galitzine and Riverdale’s Camila Mendes, alongside veteran stars Idris Elba, Kristen Wiig, and Jared Leto.

Eager to see how the new live-action stars compare to their original animated counterparts? Scroll on to explore Entertainment Weekly’s guide to the new Masters of the Universe cast.

01 of 09

Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man

Nicholas Galitzine takes up the mantle as the heroic Prince Adam, a.k.a. He-Man. The former heir of Eternia, Adam was forced to flee his home planet at a young age and raised on Earth.

Galitzine is a relatively new face in Hollywood, but he’s come far. You may recognize the young Brit from his breakout in the Amazon Prime Video original movie Red, White & Royal Blue, based on the 2019 romance novel of the same name. He achieved further prominence through performances in Bottoms (2023), The Idea of You (2024), and this year’s The Sheep Detectives.

Galitzine has proven himself adept at comedic acting and looks to be a perfect pick for the comically masculine role of He-Man.

Speaking exclusively with EW about his arduous physical transformation for the role, Galitzine admitted that he “learned a lot about myself and how far I was willing to push myself and really suffer for it…. It’s really not for the faint of heart.”

02 of 09

Camila Mendes as Teela

Camila Mendes made waves playing Veronica Lodge for all seven seasons of the CW’s mind-bending melodrama Riverdale.

She has also appeared in movies like Palm Springs (2020), Do Revenge (2022), Upgraded (2024), and Idiotka (2025) — where she also served as a producer.

In Masters of the Universe, Mendes plays Teela, He-Man’s primary love interest and the adoptive daughter of Duncan. She is also Captain of the Guards of Eternia and Adam’s lieutenant.

Reflecting about her character in an exclusive interview with EW, Mendes said, “It’s hard to talk about Teela without talking about her relationship to her father, because I feel like so much of who she is has to do with how she was, I guess, let down as a kid.”

03 of 09

Idris Elba as Duncan

Idris Elba has become a household name since his early days on the gritty HBO crime drama The Wire. The A-lister has starred in a wide variety of projects, from blockbusters — Pacific Rim (2013), Thor: Ragnarok (2017) — to dramas like A House of Dynamite (2025) and B-movie action schlock like Beast (2022).

Elba has also taken home a Golden Globe for his performance in the British psychological thriller series Luther.

Now, he steps into the role of Duncan, otherwise known as Man-At-Arms. He is Teela’s adoptive father and King Randor’s most trusted general. He is also one of Adam’s Heroic Warriors.

Speaking at a Masters of the Universe virtual press conference in June, Elba said of Duncan, “At the heart of my character, he’s a dad. He loves his kid. And he has this sense of loss the whole time. I really leaned into that. It was a lot of fun to play with.”

04 of 09

Morena Baccarin as the Sorceress

You might recognize Morena Baccarin from her days on TV in sci-fi shows like Stargate SG-1 and Firefly. However, she broke out even more after starring as Wade Wilson’s love interest Vanessa in all three Deadpool movies.

Still, her cinematic credits go far beyond Marvel. Baccarin has an impressive oeuvre, and she’s starred in movies like Greenland (2020) and The Wrecking Crew (2026), alongside numerous television appearances.

She joins the He-Man universe as the Sorceress, Teela’s biological mother. The Sorceress serves as the current guardian of Castle Greyskull, and she possesses an immense wealth of magical knowledge.

05 of 09

Jared Leto as Skeletor

Jared Leto stars as He-Man’s archenemy, Skeletor. The bony villain is a warlock who stole the throne of Eternia from King Randor and now rules it with a tyrannical fist. However, it is Skeletor’s wickedness that serves as the catalyst for Adam becoming He-Man.

Leto’s name is well known in Hollywood, and he’s starred in titles like Tron: Ares (2025), Morbius (2022), Suicide Squad (2016), and Dallas Buyers Club (2013) — the latter of which earned him an Academy Award. He has also fronted the rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars since 2002.

06 of 09

Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn

The Mad Men, GLOW, and Community actress joins Masters of the Universe as Skeletor’s right-hand woman, Evil-Lyn. She is a sorceress who betrayed Eternia in favor of teaming up with the bad guys.

If you missed Alison Brie in the body horror movie Together last summer — in which she costarred alongside her husband Dave Franco — you can catch her in any number of movies and shows.

Since breaking through as Annie Edison on the NBC sitcom Community, Brie has been a familiar face in pop culture, doing big budget flicks and indies alike. After featuring in Masters of the Universe, she will be in the upcoming The Revisionist alongside Dustin Hoffman and André Holland. The film is set to premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.

07 of 09

Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Fisto

Icelandic actor Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson will portray Fisto, Duncan’s younger brother and Teela’s uncle. He is one of Adam’s Heroic Warriors, and he fights with his signature metal fist.

Even if you’re not familiar with Jóhannesson’s name, you’ve likely seen him before. The actor has appeared on shows like Game of Thrones (playing Lem Lemoncloak) and Succession (Oskar Guðjohnsen). He’s also appeared in movies such as The Sisters Brothers (2018) and Atomic Blonde (2017).

08 of 09

Jon Xue Zhang as Ram Man

Ram Man is another member of the Heroic Warriors, with a name derived from his distinctive means of attack: headbutting.

Ram Man will be played by Jon Xue Zhang, a British actor, stunt performer, and martial artist with credits that include Kraven the Hunter (2024), Eternals (2021), Doctor Strange (2016), and Now You See Me 2 (2016).

09 of 09

Kristen Wiig as Roboto

SNL alum Kristen Wiig lends her vocal chops to the role of Roboto, another aptly-named He-Man character. Roboto is a Heroic Warrior whose great strength and defense capabilities are fortified by her metal body.

Wiig is a friendly face in comedy. A fan-favorite during her tenure on SNL, she continued to generate big laughs on the big screen in movies like Bridesmaids (2011) and Zoolander 2 (2016), in addition to more dramatic turns like The Skeleton Twins (2014) and The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015).

She recently starred in both seasons of the Apple TV series Palm Royale. Her next film, Cut Off, is directed by Jonah Hill. It is still waiting for a release date as of May, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly