In 1987, five years after the Masters of the Universe franchise from Mattel was launched, the same-named movie starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man was released. Nearly 40 years later, a new Masters of the Universe movie is set to come out in 2026, this time with Nicholas Galitzine playing the hero who wields the Power Sword of Grayskull. But is it possible we’ll see Lundgren appear in the reboot? Apparently so given the cryptic answer he gave in an interview.
While speaking with Men’s Journal about Hard-Cut Vodka, his new American-made spirit, Lundgren spent discussing Masters of the Universe. When the Rocky IV alum had this to way when asked if he could pop up in the upcoming movie:
It's a bit of a secret, but I can't say much. But yeah, maybe I'll get involved somehow. We'll see.
I suspect that if Dolph Lundgren already knew he wouldn’t be needed for the Masters of the Universe reboot, he would have said right then and there that we shouldn’t expect to see him in it. This answer, on the other hand, suggests it’s a possibility at bare minimum. From a more optimistic perspective, since Masters of the Universe just finished filming, maybe Lundgren already shot a cameo or even a slightly larger role.
We have another year to go until that mystery is solved, but as far as his overall feelings about the reboot, Dolph Lundgren is glad that it finally got off the ground, even if it does make him feel his age. He stated:
If you think a new He-Man movie makes you feel old, I feel old! I was in it! They've been trying to remake the picture for at least 15 years, and I'm glad they're doing it. There's a great cast, a great crew. It's a big budget picture with MGM/Amazon. I think they're doing a great job.
Dolph Lundgren starred opposite Frank Langella, Courteney Cox, Barry Livingston, James Tolkan, Christina Pickles, Meg Foster, Chelsea Field and Jon Cypher, among others. Although the 1987 movie ended with a post-credits scene teasing that Langella’s Skeletor would return, its poor critical and commercial performance resulted in sequel plans being scrapped. Additionally, Masters of the Universe bombing at the box office contributed to Cannon Films shutting down.
As for the new adaptation, Nicholas Galitzine’s castmates include Jared Leto, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie and Idris Elba. The Travis Knight-directed and Chris Butler-written Masters of the Universe opens in theaters on June 5, 2026. Until then, if you have a Netflix subscription, you can get your fill of newer Masters of the Universe content by streaming the animated shows Masters of the Universe: Revelation and its follow-up Revolution, as well as the separate CGI series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
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