The Masters of the Universe live-action movie may have hit another wall, with star Noah Centineo walking away, but the brand, based on the 80s toy/cartoon combo, is coming back in another way. Netflix is set to launch Masters of the Universe: Revelation, a new animated series that is a continuation of the original Filmation cartoon from the 80s.
This series will consist of 10 episodes, split into two parts, with Part 1 dropping on July 23. Revelation hails from MotU superfan Kevin Smith with art designs by Powerhouse Animation, the unit behind Netflix’s hit Castlevania. Bear McCreary (The Walking Dead) provides the score.
Along those lines, expect this to be a bit more mature than the Filmation show. As Smith stated:
“Everything I’ve ever worked on in like 27 years, this is easily in the top five of my favorite, most satisfying projects… We get to see them engage not just in clashing swords, but in far deeper conversations than we’ve ever seen them before. It’s not just simply like these two dudes [He-Man and Skeletor] have been trying to beat each other up for decades. We get to tell stories of abuse. We get to kind of tell stories of isolation, grief. We use these characters as long as they’ve been around — and most people consider them toys or action figures — to tell insanely human stories set in a very inhuman world.”
You can get your first look at Masters of the Universe: Revelation below (courtesy of EW):
Smith also recounted speaking to Netflix’s director of original series, Ted Diaselli, who had certain expectations for this new series:
“He said, ‘Do me a favor. When I used to watch the shows as a kid, I legitimately thought that He-Man was always on the verge of getting killed by Skeletor. I believed in the stakes. Just make me believe that again’. People would see some of this as goofy IP, but this is a rich tapestry, a world full of characters. [Biaselli] said, ‘Please just don’t talk down to it. Don’t make fun of it. Don’t wink. Just treat it like Shakespeare.’ Those were our marching orders.”
Executive producer Rob David indicated that the series would pick up almost directly where the Filmation toon left off, but a “cataclysmic event” would send things in a different direction. One major factor will be the fact that only a few of the “Masters” know that Prince Adam is He-Man. (For the record, based on the original show, they are Orko, Man-At-Arms, and The Sorceress.)
Smith elaborated:
“Only certain people know the secret that Prince Adam is really He-Man. We build our entire story on who was left out of the secret and the damaging trickle-down effects of that… [He-Man is] a hero who has to live under deception in order to protect those he loves, but it’s about how that deception rots at the core.”
Masters of the Universe: Revelation boasts an all-star voice cast with Chris Wood voicing He-Man/Prince Adam. Smith previously directed Wood on Supergirl, on which Wood portrayed Mon-El. Mark Hamill voices Skeletor, while the original voice of Skeletor, Alan Oppenheimer will pop up as the voice of Moss Man. Hamill is known for voicing the Joker on Batman: The Animated Series and other DC projects, and his Batman, Kevin Conroy, is also part of this cast, portraying Mer-Man. Another frequent Smith collaborator, Jason Mewes voices Stinkor, and Smith’s daughter, Harley Quinn Smith, will voice a character named Ileena.
Game of Thrones‘ Lena Headey lends her voice to another femme fatale, Evil-Lyn, while Sarah Michelle Gellar portrays Teela.
The cast also includes Diedrich Bader (another Batman!) as King Randor and Trap Jaw, Liam Cunningham as Man-At-Arms, Susan Eisenberg as The Sorceress, Phil LaMarr as He-Ro, Justin Long as Roboto, Griffin Newman as Orko, Kevin Michael Richardson as Beast Man, Henry Rollins as Tri-Klops, Stephen Root as Cringer, Alicia Silverstone as Queen Marlena, Tiffany Smith as Andra, Cree Summer as Priestess, and Tony Todd as Scare Glow.
Check out the first five episodes of Masters of the Universe: Revelation on Netflix on July 23.
