Jared Leto is an Oscar-winning actor (for his role in 2013's Dallas Buyers Club), but his leading man status has been called into question following starring roles in big-budget flops like Morbius and TRON: Ares.
It's probably for the best, then, that he'll be hidden behind a CG skull in this summer's Masters of the Universe reboot. Until now, we've not really known how much time Leto spent on set, but the latest issue of Empire confirms that he spent time suited up as the villainous Skeletor.
In an excerpt shared from the magazine by He-Mania.com (via Toonado.com), it's said that "though Leto is playing the character, the actor is all but invisible: his body is swathed in a blue-skinned muscle suit, and his face is entirely replaced with a CG-animated skull."
Beyond Skeletor's iconic look, Leto will obviously be lending his voice to the character. However, he won't be emulating the high-pitched voice performance of legendary actor Alan Oppenheimer in the 1980s He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series.
Instead, Leto will be following the footsteps of Frank Langella's Skeletor in the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie. In that, the actor delivered a Shakespearean-inspired performance that the Suicide Squad star will be emulating in Travis Knight's reboot.
"And while [Jared Leto's] vocalisation avoids rehashing the memorable nasal whine of the original cartoon Skeletor (voiced by Alan Oppenheimer)," reads the excerpt, "it doesn’t sound like his own, having instead a dry, Shakespearean timbre."
Elsewhere in the magazine, Knight revealed that previous versions of the movie's script depicted Skeletor as a man wearing a golden skull mask. "I said, 'F**k that shit. Skeletor has a skull face,'" he stated. "That’s just the way it is. It’s a living, talking, emoting skull, and that’s that."
With that decided on, the filmmaker knew he had to get the character right. For him, Leto was ultimately the perfect choice to help with that, and it sounds like fans can expect a very timely portrayal of the villain who desires control of Castle Grayskull.
"Skeletor was a really interesting villain," Knight shared. "He looked cool. He was scary. He was funny. He was insecure. And then of course he had this distinctive voice."
"I wanted someone to craft their own version of that. Jared approached us, because he loves Skeletor and has his own history with the character. He wanted to swing for the fences," he continued. "And ultimately, we landed on something that I’m really happy with. Skeletor’s kind of the embodiment of toxic masculinity."
In Masters of the Universe, Director Travis Knight brings the legendary franchise back to the big screen in this epic live-action adventure. After being separated for 15 years, the Sword of Power leads Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) back to Eternia, where he discovers his home shattered under the fiendish rule of Skeletor (Jared Leto).
To save his family and his world, Adam must join forces with his closest allies, Teela (Camila Mendes) and Duncan/Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), and embrace his true destiny as He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe.
Written by Chris Butler and Aaron Nee & Adam Nee & Dave Callaham, and directed by Travis Knight, Masters of the Universe stars Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Charlotte Riley, Kristen Wiig, Jared Leto, and Idris Elba.
Masters of the Universe opens in theaters on June 5, later this year.