How Brian May Brought His Red Special Fire to the New Masters of the Universe Movie
Queen legend Brian May poured his heart and soul into the soundtrack for the new Masters of the Universe movie, working alongside award-winning composer Daniel Pemberton. Released in June, the film stars Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man, Jared Leto as Skeletor, and Idris Elba as Man-at-Arms, following a lengthy development history that began when Sony Pictures International first announced the project in 2009.
A Long-Awaited Collaboration at Abbey Road
Composer Daniel Pemberton, known for his work on Slow Horses, Black Mirror, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, is a long-time fan of Queen’s cinematic output, including their scores for 1980’s Flash Gordon and 1986’s Highlander. From the earliest stages of production, Pemberton envisioned the score as if written by a rock band like Queen. During a conversation with director Travis Knight, the idea of bringing in Brian May was born.
The collaboration materialized when Pemberton realized he and May would be at London’s Abbey Road Studios at the same time, prompting the composer to pitch the idea directly to the Queen guitarist.
“It just all happened very easily and with great joy,” May recalled in an interview with Rolling Stone, explaining that his involvement stemmed from his son’s interest in He-Man. “It’s all, for me, great memories, great nostalgia… It’s like we didn’t even need to explain to each other.”
The Red Special as the Sword of Power
Pemberton found a striking thematic parallel between the film’s universe and the Queen guitarist’s signature gear.
“During this process, I sort of realized Brian’s guitar, the Red Special, is the equivalent of the Sword of Power in He-Man,” Pemberton noted. “Which sounds ridiculous, but it’s really genuine. Only one person can wield this power, which is Brian.”
May first announced his involvement in the project back in March, predicting that the film would bring widespread joy. “This movie will make a lot of people smile a lot,” May said at the time, adding his own enthusiastic take on the character’s iconic catchphrase: “I have the POWER!!!!”
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