Written by Following months of rumors, it was only this past May where we officially learned that director Travis Knight would indeed helm the new Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel Films “Masters of the Universe” movie.
Slated for a June 5th 2026 worldwide theatrical release, news of who would play the lead role of Prince Adam and He-Man soon followed; (none other than actor Nicholas Galitzine.) But what we still didn’t know at the time, filling a position perhaps equally important, is who would the cinematographer be.
Also known as a Director of Photography, the Cinematographer is responsible for the visual look and style of a movie. They are responsible for making artistic and technical choices (everything from selecting camera lenses to the angle of the camera) that decide how images are presented to the audience. Always tasked with bringing the director’s vision to life, directing photography often remains a collaborative process between the director and cinematographer, where cinematographers usually have a degree of creative latitude in creating the film’s style. And fortunately, it appears “Masters of the Universe” has a good one.
We have learned that Award winner Fabian Wagner has been hired as the the Cinematographer / Director of Photography for the new “Masters of the Universe” movie.
Responsible for bringing some amazing imagery to both critically acclaimed series “Game of Thrones” and “House of the Dragon“, Wagner has won two American Society of Cinematographers Awards for his work in “Game of Thrones“.
Fabian Wagner not only has experience bringing stunning fantasy imagery to the screen, but he also has experience in the realm of superhero cinematography, a quality that many believe Prince Adam and his alter ego He-Man embodies. Fabian Wagner was also the Director of Photography for the critically acclaimed “Zack Snyder’s Justice League.“
So Fabian Wagner will certainly be bringing a lot of visual experience and flair to the upcoming new “Masters of the Universe” movie… and truly appears to be a brilliant hire for this long awaited new He-Man film.
Filming is slated to begin January 2025. We’ll see you next time. Welcome Fabian!
This is amazing news! House of the Dragon is a beautiful looking show. This is not going to look cheap at all.
Been waitin for this movie foreverĀ
I just can’t get excited about this film. Some properties shouldn’t ever make it to live action. Warhammer, Warcraft, MOTU will ALWAYS work best in animation. Their worlds are too fantastic to portray in the real world. This is also reason why we’re going to have both of the live action movies involving Earth instead of just Eternia. Earth shouldn’t exist in this universe.Ā
Adam’s mother is from Earth.
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@he-mayon That is precisely right. Queen Marlena is an Earthling and Earth will always exist in this universe. The contentious issue is should any part of the movie be set on Earth.
Honestly, I had no idea that her being from Earth originated in Filmation. I always assumed that was some Classic’s bio/ToyGuru fan fiction. Regardless, Earth doesn’t need to exist in this movie and Marlena doesn’t have to be from Earth in it either. There wasn’t any mention of Marlena’s origins in the 200x series and I saw no one complaining.Ā
Its a very minor character point and the filmmakers are probably going to use it to reduce the budget of the film and to try and “ground" the story for general audiences. Likely, by making Adam have to travel to Eternia so that Earth can be saved. Because apparently, unless Earth or New York City is in trouble, audiences aren’t able to relate to the fantastic elements /s.
Its not a problem that Earth is in the canon. The problem is that it will be used to warp the story in a negative way. I want MOTU to stay on Eternia and/or the other magical planets that exist in the lore. I already live on Earth. Don’t need or want to see more of it.Ā
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Marlena’s Earth beginnings actually originated a year before Filmation in DC Comics so it’s always been a part of her legacy. I don’t recall it being mentioned in 200x either but then again she was hardly in that show. I remember that being one of my major gripes with the show. With that said I do hope the movie takes place on Earth as little as possible. Just because Marlena is from Earth doesn’t mean the characters need to visit her home planet.Ā
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@smokinya Bingo. This huge wave of live-action remakes hasn’t exactly been that great. I’m still examining how Netflix retold basically the same story of Avatar: The Last Airbender in the remake, yet somehow, found a way to miss the thematic point of the original, and do almost everything worse.
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Animation is a beautiful medium. A limitless medium. It’s not just something completelty reserved for kids. Some of the best movies ever made are animated. How amazingly Dreamworks reimagined the world of Eternia in the She-Ra reboot couldn’t have been done without animation if you ask me.
Are they still making the movie where Adam grows up on Earth then becomes He-Man and goes to Eternia? If they are I’m not super excited for that. I saw something very similar on MST3K and the required exposition hurt the overall story telling.
Doesn’t MST3K only show bad movies on purpose?
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IT’S HAPPENING!!!!!!!
At least a good news to balance the underwhelming news about the plot
Agreed 100% … I REALLY hope that plot was just a ruse.
@ehenyo Reminds me of the leaked concept images of Teela in some weird tech battle suit back in 2020 that were very poorly received by fans.
Except in that case, instead of redesigning like the Sonic backlash, they canceled. š
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i’m SO enthusiastic, honestly ! it’sĀ evident with these hires that director travis knight KNOWS what a motu movie needs in order to feel like motu. fabian wagner has both the fantasy and superhero chops. he’s the kind of cinematographer that can make you believe that the fantastic worlds and creatures before your eyes are REAL.
i find that his is a rather gritty-style, very grounded. when i watch GoT/HoTD, everything on screen feels so solid and consequential. i remember when i saw justice league (synder cut) and i thought the cinematography had a kind of brutality to it. the closeups, the turbulent rush of the camera, hurrying alongside the more dramatic action sequences. the pain of these characters, the world they inhabited, just felt so much more believable, than the more recent marvel flicks (which i love) but they often feel too rubbery and cartoony. the fights are fun but i never get a tense sense that they are in real pain or danger, there is no focus on how they react to their world. most recent mcu feels like a video game, not like justice league or game of thrones, which felt alive and kicking.
just imagine an eternia that feels lived in and alive, an eternos city that feels like you could just step through the sceen and walk around in it and be a part of it. I Belive mr. wagner is the one to show us this eternia.
Sounds like a great choice, interesting that his stuff has a darker, and also realistic vibe.
All this is careful reason for optimism that this thing will actually happen. I believe it when I see it, though lol
And I believe the connection to Earth through not only Marlena, was also part of the UK comics and the German audio plays. In one of them, even Tri-Klops and Evil Lyn were from earth, I believe. Need to get that heavy compendium to look it up.
In the Filmation bible, Beastman, Evil Lyn, and Tri-Klops were part of Marlena’s crew, that got separated from her. She ended up on Eternia, and they ended up on Infinita, and were transformed into their current forms by the planets evil energies.
Thank Zoar they didn’t go with that in the final draft.
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@lordofdestruction The shows writers also hated it, and refused to include it in the show. Lol
A cinematographer can really make or break a movie. Knowing we have an excellent one gives me a lot faith in this movie. I would have even more faith, though, if we heard some good news about the script…