Alison Brie amazed about reaction to her He-Man villain

The film, which also stars Nicholas Galitzine, Idris Elba, Kristen Wiig, Camila Mendes and Morena Baccarin, arrives amid renewed nostalgia for major 1980s franchises returning to cinemas. 

Brie said the excitement surrounding the project had surprised her, particularly from men in her life who grew up with He-Man toys and cartoons. 

"People have been coming out of the woodwork to talk to me about it, people I haven't heard from in ages because they're so excited about it," she said, speaking to People.

"It's very cute.

"I think it has that multi-generational connection because I know all the people who originally grew up on it are excited, and then they have kids and they're excited to bring them."

The film also marks another major studio reboot for Mattel following the enormous success of Barbie, starring Margot Robbie, which became a global phenomenon in 2023 and sparked ongoing interest in toy-based film adaptations.

Brie, who has been married to actor Dave Franco for nine years, said the men in her family and friendship circle had reacted especially enthusiastically after hearing she had joined the He-Man project.

"Jared Leto is Skeletor, which is amazing, and I'm Evil-lyn, his second in command.

"And it's the most excited the men in my life have ever been about anything I've ever done!

"I have three nephews and they're as excited as the middle-aged men.

"Some of them probably still have their He-Man action figures to be honest.

"It's fun when you work on a project like this that has touched so many people."

The Masters of the Universe franchise first launched in 1982 through Mattel's He-Man action figure line before exploding into mainstream popularity with the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe in 1983. 

The franchise later inspired comic books, spin-off shows and the cult 1987 live-action film starring Dolph Lundgren and Frank Langella.