Skeletor leads forces of evil

CEBU, Philippines —  In “Masters of the Universe,” Eternia has fallen under the the forces of Skeletor, and it’s up to He-Man, who has returned from his Earthly exile, to fight back. He is not alone, as fighting by his side are other heroes of Eternia determined to take back their planet, but Skeletor also has his allies.

“Skeletor, on his surface, seems like he just wants power and he’s willing to do whatever it takes, but it’s what’s lacking in him that makes him want that power,” says producer Jason Blumenthal. “And what’s lacking in him is what’s inside of Adam. I’d call it a moral compass.”

The filmmakers tapped Jared Leto to voice the iconic villain, with the actor being a massive He-Man fan bringing a solid knowledge of the character into his performance. He understands that as menacing as Skeletor is, there’s still a lot of fun to be had in the role.

Evil-Lyn, played by Alison Brie, is a cunning enchantress that serves as Skeletor’s right hand. “The most exciting thing to me about this iteration of He-Man is the sense of humor,” Brie says. “Skeletor and Evil-Lyn had a funny rapport in the original series. Some of the iterations since then have been more serious, and I like that this movie has a meta quality. It’s able to laugh at itself, but also deliver for the fans and take itself seriously when it needs to.”

There’s also the turbulent relationship between Evil-Lyn and Skeletor, which can be pretty toxic in Brie’s opinion. “She vacillates between sort of loving Skeletor, and idolizing him, and being very excited for him to get the power, but secretly she wants to have all the power,” Brie says. “She notoriously has no loyalty to Skeletor. She likes to pretend that she does, but we all know the power dynamic between Evil-Lyn and Skeletor is super volatile.”

Another fighter in Skeletor’s roster of villains is the cyborg Trap Jaw, an intimidating mish-mash of parts with an even nastier bite. There is quite a bit of prosthetic work to be a part of Skeletor’s army, and for actor Sam C. Wilson, it’s part of the process of embodying the role. “The way that I play him, he’s a really gruesome kind of guy,” Wilson says. “His jaw hurts his head, so he’s got a headache and none of it is very comfortable. With the amazing work that the prosthetics team has done, I can make this guy feel eerie and strange.”

6-foot-9 bodybuilder and 2018’s World’s Strongest Man Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson credits He-Man as an inspiration for his journey as a strongman, and is stoked to be a part of “Masters of the Universe.” He plays Goat Man, a demonic figure with massive horns on his head. Björnsson says, “I grew up with the generation that had He-Man, and being able to be a part of this was just an honor for me.”

The evil must be vanquished as “Masters of the Universe” arrives in cinemas this Wednesday, June 3. — (FREEMAN)