MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: REVELATION
KEVIN SMITH SHARES SECRETS OF MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: REVELATION…
Kevin Smith shares Eternia truths about his new show. It’s not a Stinkor, apaz.
It’s 36 years since He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe finished its sword-swinging, epoch-defining run. Finally, OG fans get to find out what happens next with Netflix and Mattel Television’s Masters Of The Universe: Revelation. Extending character arcs in fresh directions, it’s powered by showrunner Kevin Smith and a voice cast including Chris Wood (He-Man/Prince Adam), Mark Hamill (Skeletor) and Sarah Michelle Gellar (Teela)…
Kevin, what was the hook that re-opened this universe?
KEVIN SMITH: I knew the original cartoon insanely well. But I went back and was like, “I’m gonna spin one and see if it’s everything I remembered.” I watched an episode and right in the opening credits, where you get the whole “I am Adam, Prince of Eternia and defender of Castle Grayskull…”, one of the most compelling lines is that only three people know the secret that Adam is He-Man. And one of those people was not Teela, his closest friend. I was like, “Well, what if Teela finally found out?”
Did you receive any mandates from Mattel or Netflix?
KS: We went into Netflix, and I met [development exec] Ted Biaselli. Ted loves Masters Of The Universe and he said, “You’ve got to understand, every episode I watched, I was afraid Skeletor was going to kill He-Man. What I’m looking for from this show is that same feeling I had as a kid. I want stakes. I want to feel like this all matters and that people can die at any moment. All I ask is that you don’t mock this stuff or do inside jokes. I know it’s the low-hanging fruit to make fun of it. Please, the one thing I’ve always wanted my whole life is that somebody would treat these characters like they were Shakespearean.”
And I was like, “I can’t do Shakespeare but I can do Fake-speare. I can get you close. I can give Skeletor a big old speech!” They encouraged me to let the characters be dramatic. And there’s a scene between Evil-Lyn [Lena Headey] and Beast Man [Kevin Michael Richardson] in Part Two that is one of the finest dramatic pieces I’ve ever been
involved with, and that I’ve ever seen in something.
Chris, was Masters Of The Universe part of your childhood?
CHRIS WOOD: I grew up playing with the toys and being obsessed with Grayskull specifically because it was like the most epic, boy-castle toy ever. And doing this felt very full circle, because I have a young son now, so it’s super-cool to get to embody this character that has been such a huge pop-culture phenomenon. Of course, there’s a pressure that comes from making comparisons, but I just tried not to think that and do my own thing, knowing that the story and the phrases and all of that do all the nostalgia work for you.
Sarah, what can you tell us about Teela’s journey?
SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR: I think her journey is one that everybody can understand. It’s that moment of growing up and realising, “I’m an adult. I need to figure out who I am, not based on who my parents are, or the people around, or what’s expected of me.” She feels extremely betrayed by the people that she loved the most and that’s when you really go on that journey. It was exciting to take that journey with her.
Tiffany, how does your new character, Andra, play into Teela’s story arc?
TIFFANY SMITH: I think that the cool thing about their dynamic is that we’re getting to see Teela at a different phase of her life that we didn’t see, obviously, in the original series. There’s one line that I love so much: “I’m the brain, she’s the brawn.” I think that it’s a really simple way to put it, but they do rely on each other. It’s amazing to get to see two best friends going on this journey together.
How do you hope audiences respond to this version of Teela?
SMG: She’s so badass! Just the haircut alone. And what I really hope is that when they make the Teela Halloween costume, and the Andra one, is that they come with muscles, like those muscle-suit Batman costumes, so that girls understand that they can look like that too. And I’m just putting that out there to whoever is listening!
Tony, how were you wooed into voicing baddie Scare Glow?
TONY TODD: Well, Kevin and I worked on a network pitch for something five years ago, so we always knew each other and we kept each other in mind. He called me and said, “I need you to come play. We’re rebooting Masters Of The Universe.” I read the scripts and then went in. He’s such a joy to work with because he genuinely loves whatever project that he’s involved with. He loves it as a fan, and that translates. Tara Bennett
MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: REVELATION IS ON NETFLIX FROM 23 JULY.