Power-Con fans in attendance felt the power of Masters of the Universe this weekend. Kevin Smith surprised audience members at the annual He-Man and She-Ra convention to share news of his new Netflix anime series, Masters of the Universe: Revelation.
The wholly original story set in the epic world of Mattel’s over-35-year-old global franchise is an animated series that will focus on the unresolved storylines of the classic ‘80s era, picking up many of the characters’ journeys where they left off decades ago. The series is being produced by Mattel Television with Rob David, VP of Mattel TV and author of "He-Man: The Eternity War", serving as an executive producer on the series. Smith will serve as showrunner and executive producer. The limited series will be written by Eric Carrasco (Supergirl), Tim Sheridan (Reign of the Supermen), Diya Mishra (Magic the Gathering) and Marc Bernardin (Alphas) as writers. Animation for the series is being done by Powerhouse Animation (Castlevania).
Here's what Smith had to say:
“I’m Eternia-ly grateful to Mattel TV and Netflix for entrusting me with not only the secrets of Grayskull, but also their entire Universe. In Revelation, we pick up right where the classic era left off to tell an epic tale of what may be the final battle between He-Man and Skeletor! Brought to life with the most metal character designs Powerhouse Animation can contain in the frame, this is the Masters of the Universe story you always wanted to see as a kid!”
Rob David followed up, saying:
“Masters of the Universe has been a cultural phenomenon for generations, inspiring fans to discover their own power within. Fans of this franchise have been waiting for the continuation of these characters, and Kevin Smith, as a Masters superfan himself, is the perfect champion and partner to expand the canon through a dynamic animated series on Netflix.”
John Derderian, head of anime content for Netflix, also said:
“He-Man has inspired children -- and the child inside of us all -- for decades, with his feats of heroism and courage in the face of evil. We can think of no better creator for this show than Kevin Smith, a superfan whose pen is as mighty as He-Man's Power Sword!”
If you're unfamiliar with Masters of the Universe:
Since its inception in 1982, Masters of the Universe has been a cultural phenomenon transcending generations and igniting “the power” amongst fans around the world. After more than 30 years, Mattel is bringing Masters of the Universe back and is setting out to create a global evergreen franchise with multiple content access points expanding the story and characters within the vast universe. The appetite for Masters of the Universe hasn’t waned in the years while the franchise rested; Masters of the Universe has had almost 150M social mentions in the US alone within the last year. In the 1980s Masters of the Universe became a $2B franchise across toys and licensed goods.
