Jared Leto to Play Skeletor in "Masters of the Universe" Movie

Jared Leto is joining Amazon MGM’s upcoming live-action film “Masters of the Universe” as Skeletor, the skull-faced archenemy of Eternia’s greatest warrior, He-Man (Nicholas Galitzine).

The reimagining of the popular Mattel toy line has also cast Skeletor’s coterie of henchmen with Sam C. Wilson (“House of the Dragon”) starring as Trap Jaw; Kojo Attah (“The Beekeeper”) playing Tri-Klops; and Hafthor Bjornsson (“Game of Thrones”) as Goat Man.

They’ll join the previously cast Alison Brie (“Promising Young Woman”) as Skeletor’s lieutenant, Evil-Lyn; Camila Mendes (“Riverdale”) as He-Man’s trusted compatriot, Teela; and Idris Elba (“Hijack”) as Teela’s father, Man-at-Arms.

“Bumblebee” director Travis Knight is directing the movie for Amazon MGM Studios, Mattel, and Escape Artists.

Knight is helming the project from a script by Chris Butler. The initial draft of the screenplay was penned by David Callaham, Aaron Nee and Adam Nee.

Mattel launched the Masters of the Universe franchise with a line of action figures that debuted in 1982.

A year later, the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe premiered in syndication and was followed by video games and other merchandise.

“Masters of the Universe” has endured a particularly torturous, two-decade-plus journey to the big screen.

The project was set up at Warner Bros. and Sony before moving to Netflix, which axed the film in 2023 over budget concerns. Countless directors, including “Kung Fu Panda” filmmaker John Stevenson, “Wicked” helmer Jon M. Chu, “Charlie’s Angels” filmmaker McG and “The Lost City” duo Aaron and Adam Nee, have cycled through the movie since 2007.

“West Side Story” actor Kyle Allen was at one point attached to play He-Man; it’s unclear when those talks fell apart.

Plot details are being kept under wraps. According to a prior synopsis from the studio, “Masters of the Universe” follows Prince Adam a.k.a. He-Man, who crashes to Earth in a spaceship as a child and, decades later, returns to his home planet to defend it from the evil forces of the baddie known as Skeletor. But in order to defeat the powerful villain, he needs to uncover the mysteries of his past and become He-Man, referred to in this world as “the most powerful man in the universe.”

It is one of 15 live-action motion pictures in development — some more curious than others — at Mattel Films, including Daniel Kaluuya’s “Barney,” the Jennifer Lopez and Anthony Ramos animated “Bob the Builder,” rapper Lil Yachty’s heist thriller “Uno” and Vin Diesel’s “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots.” Mattel’s first and only film, so far, has been the billion-dollar blockbuster “Barbie” for Warner Bros.

“Masters of the Universe” will be released in theaters on June 5, 2026.