How Queen Guitarist Brian May Brought Rock Royalty to Masters of the Universe
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Queen guitarist Brian May played a pivotal role in shaping the bombastic soundtrack for the new Masters of the Universe film, bringing a direct link to the iconic 1980 Flash Gordon score.
For players and pop culture fans tracking the latest cross-media adaptations, the new Masters of the Universe film has arrived as a surprising cinematic success. Director Travis Knight, known for his work on Kubo and the Two Strings and Bumblebee, leaned heavily into a candy-coated sci-fi fantasy aesthetic. To capture the right tone, Knight looked back at a major genre touchstone, the 1980 Flash Gordon movie, which famously featured an iconic, operatic score by Queen. Wanting that same larger than life energy for He-Man, the production managed to bring in actual rock royalty to help seal the deal.
As reported by Jake Kleinman over at Polygon, Queen lead guitarist Brian May spent a full day collaborating on the film's audio landscape. Working alongside composer Daniel Pemberton, who is well-known for his vibrant work on the Spider-Verse movies, May contributed his legendary guitar skills to the project. Knight even shared the surreal experience of sitting in May's home studio and watching the musician play his custom Red Special guitar using his signature sixpence coin instead of a standard pick.
This collaboration actually creates a neat historical loop for pop culture fans. George Lucas originally wanted to make a Flash Gordon film in the 1970s, and when he lost the rights, he created Star Wars instead. Mattel then launched He-Man and the Masters of the Universe to compete with those toy lines. Bringing Brian May on board to help score a modern He-Man movie brings the entire sci-fi lineage full circle, proving that some iconic creative partnerships are simply meant to transcend generations.
Tags: Masters of the Universe, Movies, Music, Queen, Brian May
Original article: Polygon