As the Masters of the Universe makes its way to the big screen, one of Saturday morning cartoons’ most iconic villains is getting the cinematic treatment.
Director Travis Knight recently teased the Jared Leto-voiced version of Skeletor in the Amazon MGM Studios/Mattel live-action film, premiering June 5 in theaters, noting that he let the actor “swing for the fences” with his portrayal.
“Skeletor was a really interesting villain,” he told Empire. “He looked cool. He was scary. He was funny. He was insecure. And then of course he had this distinctive voice.”
Knight added, “I wanted someone to craft their own version of that. Jared approached us, because he loves Skeletor and has his own history with the character. He wanted to swing for the fences. And ultimately we landed on something that I’m really happy with. Skeletor’s kind of the embodiment of toxic masculinity.”
With the first trailer dropping last month, fans got a glimpse at Skeletor facing off against Nicholas Galatzine’s He-Man.
The Chris Buttler-penned movie (from a first draft by David Callaham and Aaron & Adam Nee) also stars Camila Mendes as Teela, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, Idris Elba as Duncan/Man-at-Arms, Sam C. Wilson as Trap Jaw, Hafthor Bjornsson as Goat Man, Kojo Attah as Tri-Klops, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson as Malcolm/Fisto and Morena Baccarin as The Sorceress.
Masters of the Universe follows 10-year old Prince Adam, who crashed to Earth in a spaceship and was separated from his magical Power Sword—the only link to his home on Eternia. After tracking it down almost two decades later, Prince 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 will first need to uncover the mysteries of his past and become He-Man, the most powerful man in the Universe.