June 4, 2026
In the World of Eternia: From the South West to the Silver Screen
© 2026 Amazon MGM Studios Content Services LLC
From underground Caves to Cathedral Cloisters, Filming in England are spotlighting the West Country locations that brought the legendary science fiction franchise of Masters of the Universe back to life.
‘By the Power of Grayskull’, Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel Films live-action adaptation makes its comeback to the screen this week complete with the original well-loved 80s’ characters. Led by the trusted ‘Sword of Power’, Prince Adam [Nicholas Galitzine] returns to his magical homeland of Eternia to face the evil sorcerer Skeletor [Jared Leto] and fulfill his destiny of He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe.
The production was based at Sky Studios Elstree, filming further afield on location in developing production hub areas in the South West region.
Which South West Locations ‘Have the Power’ to bring Eternia to Life?
A vast cavernous network of underground caves hidden in East Devon provided the perfect backdrop to fulfill the Masters of the Universe on location brief. Beer Quarry Caves is a 2000-year-old complex network of caves dating back to Roman times, with a mighty hall of vaulted roofs and pillars made of beer stone, which have been likened to an underground cathedral. The sheer scale gave the production scope to construct the fantasy world of Eternia.
Devon Film Office, the dedicated Film Office for the county, further shares the level of film facilitation and unique locations that continue to accommodate high-profile productions and put Devon on the map for cinema goers. Sharon Ryan, Film Officer at Devon Film Office adds:
“We’re thrilled that the Masters of the Universe team recognised Devon’s potential as a filming location; it’s a real win for the county, helping to put us on the map as a film-friendly destination. And, given the success of the shoot, it’s proof that Devon not only has brilliant locations, but the infrastructure is also in place to host productions at any scale. He-Man is an iconic character and Beer Caves an equally iconic location – we’re excited to celebrate the film’s release into the world!”
East Devon District Council further welcomes productions to the area with Cllr Nick Hookway, EDDC Portfolio Holder for Tourism and Culture encouraging the positive international profile for the district:
“We were delighted to see ‘Masters of the Universe’ filming at Beer Quarry Caves, one of East Devon’s most distinctive and atmospheric locations. Hosting a major international production like this is a fantastic opportunity to showcase our area to a global audience and highlight the unique landscapes and heritage that make East Devon such a special place. We are proud to welcome the screen industry to our district and recognise the positive contribution that productions can make to local communities, from supporting local businesses to raising the profile of the area as a visitor destination.”
A Somerset Connection to the Sword-Wielding Universe
The Masters of the Universe release back into the world was further aided by another iconic South West cave network, Wookey Hole and the stunning Wells Cathedral. Screen Somerset, the Somerset Council film office, provides dedicated film liaison support to assist productions shooting on location in the county.
Mark Ford, Screen Somerset’s Film Office Lead further elaborates on the Somerset connection to the feature film:
“Masters of the Universe has a big Somerset streak running through it – it stars home-grown talent James Purefoy as King Randor, He-Man’s dad, and filmed at two of the county’s most iconic locations: Wells Cathedral and Wookey Hole Caves.
It was a massive production and in the county for around two weeks. We worked with the team throughout, helping with local knowledge and contacts, organising road closures and resolving some eleventh-hour parking issues. Filming at the Cathedral needed extensive set dressing. The Chapterhouse is used as the bed chamber of a senior member of the royal family and the nave was cleared and dressed for a massive set piece battle scene. The Cathedral has unique scissor arches that you won’t find in any other cathedral anywhere else in the world. A nice detail is that the arches have been used as a motif in other buildings you see on screen – so Somerset is forever immortalised in the architecture of Eternia.
Wookey Hole is used for a scene involving Skeletor’s castle and the site was the production’s unit base – it’s a sought-after filming location but also a major tourist attraction so it has lots of parking and accommodation.
James Purefoy is a big advocate for film and TV production in his home county and keen to help us promote the film and its Somerset links, to the extent that he joined us for a trip back to the cathedral to retrace some of his steps. He’s been an amazing help and the clips we shot have been great for our social media.”
On Location in the South West with King Randor
Somerset local, James Purefoy [King Randor] is a keen supporter of the county in which he grew up and revisited Wells Cathedral with Screen Somerset to talk about his experience:
“The experience of filming in the Cathedral was wonderful,” he said. “We used the main body of the Cathedral for a big battle scene. They allowed us to remove all the chairs and furniture and transform the place. Anything that said ‘2026’ was out and in came the He-Man world: different furniture, sconces, flames – it was magnificent.”
Creative England’s Filming in England team are the dedicated National Screen Agency working with a large network of regional and national partners driving the economic spread of production activity in the English Regions (outside London). Large-scale inward investment productions like the Masters of the Universe are essential in driving industry employment opportunities in the UK adding to the world renowned filming infrastructure and economic benefits enjoyed by local communities.
Collaborative National and Regional Production Support
The British Film Commission (BFC) is the national agency with a Government-set remit to maximise and support the production of international feature film and television in the UK. With well established and long standing relationships with both Amazon Studios and MGM prior to the merger, the BFC played an essential role in collaborating with screen agency partners, facilitating stage space recce’s and funding the initial location scouting.
Creative England’s Filming in England team worked in collaboration with the BFC to provide on-the-ground support to meet the logistical and creative requirements of the production. Samantha Perahia MBE, British Film Commission’s Head of Production UK talks about the foundation of success on attracting large inward investment productions to the UK:
“The UK offer for major film and television production is unrivalled, combining world-class cast and crew, studios, locations, VFX and Post and, of course, generous and reliable tax reliefs. It is the BFC’s role to ensure that our international film and TV clients are kept fully up-to-speed on everything the UK has to offer across its four nations; and to work in close partnership with our UK-wide Screen Agency and Film Office partners, who support the productions on-the-ground. We are proud of the long-established relationship between the UK and US screen sectors which, working together, have produced films and television shows for over 100 years, generating financial, creative and cultural benefits for our respective jurisdictions, and which are enjoyed by audiences around the world. Amazon MGM’s ‘Masters of the Universe’ is one such example, and the BFC was delighted to have worked with Creative England and our other UK and US partners to have supported this exciting production.”
Masters of the Universe had its UK premiere at the Cineworld Leicester Square in London, UK on the 27th of May and is due for general release in cinemas from Wednesday 3rd June.
For further information on the regional supporting Film Offices please visit: Screen Somerset and Devon Film Office.
The British Film Commission maximises and supports the production of major international feature film and high-end television in the UK. For further information on the service provided please visit: HERE
For more information on filming in the South West, please contact Charlotte Wood, our Production Liaison Manager for the South West region: charlotte.wood@creativeengland.co.uk
