At today’s Comic-Con panel celebrating the 40th anniversary of Masters of the Universe, Mattel promised a special guest. They delivered. Booming in with his voice from behind a curtain towards the end, a very familiar icon demanded to know why he hadn’t been talked about yet. Kevin Smith recalled a session of trying to direct William Shatner, which made him say “Kevin, in a moment you will have the honor of directing me.” To which Smith’s wife said, “Well, it took Captain Kirk to [expletive] shut up Silent Bob!”
Yes, it’s true: Shatner will have a voice role in Masters of the Universe: Revolution on Netflix. We don’t know who he’ll play yet, though. So stay tuned. Smith jokingly said Kobra Khan, but that’s not the real answer.
The panel kicked off with a montage of vintage toy commercials, followed by a taped greeting from original Skeletor Alan Oppenheimer, who told the fans he loved them all. Moderator Kevin Smith came out afterwards and, as a means of addressing various fan comments about whether or not he was a real fan, he described loving the deep bench of crazy characters, and the consistency of it always being on TV in the afternoons. He spoke to the fact that though “I love any butch dude in a loincloth,” he related to Adam as a fat kid who knew he had power inside him.
Smith noted that he’d be following the script closely tonight, because his mouth got him in trouble before.
RELATED: Netflix Announces Masters of the Universe: Revolution Animated
Other panelists included He-Man executive producer Rob David, Mattel VP of action figure design Derek Handy, toy blogger/author Pixel Dan Eardley, spinoff novel writer Gregory Mone, Andra voice actress Tiffany Smith (“Finally, a Smith that matters”), live-action He-Man actor Dolph Lundgren, and Stephen Root, among whose many roles Battle Cat is now one.
Eardley talked about interacting with the fan community to find and photograph every single toy released for the official toy guide. Handy discussed how love for the brand was the most important thing for a toy maker, showcasing the 40th anniversary He-Man figures, and the new CG show-inspired Castle Grayskull, with lights, sounds, and an opening jawbridge. Origins will dig heavily into the Snake Men, he said, and the Eternia playset will crowdfund via Mattel Creations this fall. Price details are coming, though Handy said “it’ll be expensive, but worth every penny.”
Discussing the multiple iterations of the story, David said the key is always about unlocking the power within yourself. He also revealed a new trailer for season 3 of Netflix’s CG-animated He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series. The upcoming episodes feature the return of Sorceress and the arrival of Skelegod in this universe. Check it out below:
Mone revealed he’ll be writing a first-person Skeletor autobiography, set in the continuity of the Netflix CG show. Expect that in November.
Lundgren recalled the pressure of playing a toy beloved by little kids. In fact, he even wondered if this signaled the end of his career. Since then, he’s grown to love it, jokingly describing his “postage stamp” costume and the cold-related “shrinkage.” (Smith proclaimed he finally got He-Man to talk about his dick.) Tiffany Smith brought in an old school photo of herself with a Frosta action figure.
RELATED: New He-Man Creators Explain Skeletor’s Updated Origin Story
Root had been in his 30s when the original cartoon came out, so he studied the originals for preparation. Smith told him to do “less stutter, more heart,” and he added so much that Battle Cat’s lines sounded cheesy, so he cut them. But Battle Cat will speak in Revolution, which Smith compares to Christian Bale’s Batman voice, and the logical sound of Cringer as a grown up.
Smith promises that He-Man will be in every episode next time. Naturally, he learned that fans don’t want a world without He-Man, so it will be all about the big battles. And it will “pull some very time-honored characters off the bench.”
Lundgren concluded the panel by raising a prop sword and saying the signature line, “By the power of Grayskull…I HAVE THE POWER!”
Whom do you think William Shatner should play in Masters of the Universe: Revolution? Let us know in comments!
Recommended Reading: The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
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