He-Man purists, you may want to sit down for this one. Netflix has unveiled the first trailer and announced a September 16 premiere date for its new CGI animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
Developed for television by Rob David (Masters of the Universe: Revelation), the new series looks to be giving the classic story of the Guardians of Grayskull a science-fiction spin with plenty of new characters and surprises for the franchise.
Per Netflix’s official synopsis:
In Eternia, the first planet of creation, a demonic tyrant rises: Skeletor! With dark armies at his command, Skeletor is on the march, hell-bent on capturing Eternia’s kingdoms, and its ultimate prize – Castle Grayskull, the ancient fortress of mystery said to contain the greatest power in the universe. It’s up to He-Man, voiced by Yuri Lowenthal, and his brave squad of rookie heroes to stop Skeletor and restore the peace. Both sides come armed with enchanted Power Weapons – transforming them into Masters of the Primal Powers of the Universe. It’s Master vs. Dark Master, He-Man vs. Skeletor – fighting for control of Eternia, Castle Grayskull, and the fate of us all. At the end, who will become Master of the Universe?
Joining Lowenthal as members of the massive voice cast are David Kaye (Cringer/Battle Cat), Grey Griffin (Evelyn/Evil-Lyn), Antony Del Rio (Duncan/Man-at-Arms), Kimberly Brooks (Teela/Eldress/Sorceress), Trevor Devall (R’Qazz/Beast Man), Judy Alice Lee (Krass/Ram Ma’am), Roger Craig Smith (Kronis/Trap-Jaw/General Dolos), Fred Tatasciore (King Randor/Baddrah), Ben Diskin (Skeletor/Prince Keldor), Tom Kenny (Ork-0/RK Units), Max Mitchell (Kitty)and Max Stubington (Young Adam).
Bryan Q Miller (Arrow, Smallville, Sleepy Hollow) serves as story editor for the series, who worked alongside writers Heath Corson, Amanda Deibert, Keely MacDonald, Peter Binswanger, Lila Scott, Matt Drdek, Julie Benson, and Shawna Benson to help create a bold new direction for the iconic animated series.
I do not doubt that old-school fans will balk at the trailer posted above, though I urge them to give the new series a chance. Passing the He-Man torch to a new generation of fans isn’t easy, and we just got a kick-ass He-Man series thanks to Kevin Smith’s Masters of the Universe: Revelation. I guess what I’m saying is that there’s room enough for both, and variety is a spice that always serves the animation community well.