Summary
The upcomingMasters of the Universehas seen multiple actors approached to play He-Man before exiting the project. The franchise, which features other iconic characters including She-Ra and King Randor, takes place in a sci-fi-fantasy world known as Eternia, which debuted in a line of Mattel figures with accompanying comics before being adapted into a popular animated show. He-Man, the mantle taken on by Prince Adam, is a character with superstrength (among many other heightened powers) who defends Castle Grayskull from his arch-enemy, Skeletor.
Although the franchise has taken on many forms since debuting in the 1970s, the upcoming live-actionMasters of the Universemoviehas been in development hell since it was first announced in 2007. It has seen a revolving door of directors and producers involved over the years, includingWicked’s Jon M. Chu, who would later go on to direct the similarG.I. Joe: Retaliation. As the creative teams behind the project shifted, so havemultiple actors who have been cast in or considered for the lead role of He-Man, the majority of whom are no longer involved in the project.
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1Kellan Lutz
In Talks In 2016
Following bodybuilder Mike O’Hearn’s 2015 announcement that he was training for the role, which turned out to be a joke,thefirst major star to circle the role of He-Man in thelive-actionMasters of the Universewas Kellan Lutz. In 2016,Lutztook to Twitter (now X) to share that he had just been in a meeting with director McG (Charlie’s Angels,The Babysitter), who had recently taken over the post from Jeff Wadlow (Imaginary,Truth or Dare). In his post, he shared that he had “an amazing meeting” and that the project was “IN GREAT HANDS!”
The timing of this meeting lined up withLutz’s push to take on more action-oriented rolesafter his breakout performance as Edward’s athletic brother Emmett Cullen in the popularTwilightfranchise. In 2014, Lutz had appeared in bothThe Expendables 3and Renny Harlin’sThe Legend of Hercules, so at the time he was likely looking to appear in another action tentpole of a similar size.
The Legend of Herculeswas released just five months before 2014’sHercules, a competing movie that starred Dwayne Johnson in the titular role as the legendary Greek demigod.
Lutz technically did not ever depart the project, as he wasnever officially announced to have been cast in the role of He-Man. In fact, shortly after Lutz made his Twitter post, McG confirmed that no official decision had been made about the character. Ultimately, it seems that Lutz either fell out of consideration at some point after that interview or that his potential casting was one of many elements that were scrapped when McG left the project.
McG’s departure was announced in April 2017, just over ten months after Lutz made his initial social media post. At that time, David S. Goyer (Blade: Trinity,The Unborn) had started penning a new script for the project and was also in talks to direct, though those talks eventually fell through. Lutz would go on to take roles in a variety of genres on both the big and small screens, most notably a30-episode stint as Special Agent Kenny Crosby inFBI: Most Wanted.
2Noah Centineo
Cast In 2019
After Lutz’s announcement that he was in talks to play the character failed to come to fruition, Noah Centineo becamethe first actor to be officially announced in the role of He-Man. After news broke in March 2019 that he was in talks for the role, Centineo confirmed that he had been cast during an interview conducted onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. At the time, directors Aaron and Adam Nee (The Lost City) had replaced McG while Art Marcum and Matt Holloway (Iron Man,Uncharted) had replaced Goyer.
At the time, Centineo was best known for playing the role of romantic leadPeter Kavinsky in the 2018 Netflix romantic comedyTo All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. That character, which he would later reprise in the sequelsP.S. I Still Love YouandAlways and Forever, led to him becoming a Netflix It Boy and starring in other rom-coms on the platform includingSierra Burgess Is a LoserandThe Perfect Date. However, he also had previous major onscreen experience in the long-running role of Jesus Adams Foster onThe Fosters.
Centineo took over the role of Jesus Adams Foster after he was portrayed byWizards of Waverly Placestar Jake T. Austin in the first two seasons ofThe Fosters.
During the time that Centineo was said to be in the role, the production schedule and intended release date shifted multiple times. After rumors began to surface that the project was being sold to Netflix by its then-owner, Sony, it was announced in April 2021 that he would no longer be participating in the movie. However, the statement, which was made by the star’s representative,did not reveal a specific reason that he had left the project.
Centineo would later play a major role in a tentpole action movie when he played DC superheroAtom Smasher opposite Dwayne Johnson in the 2022 movieBlack Adam. He followed this by collaborating with Netflix once more for a more adult role as Owen Hendricks in the action-comedyThe Recruit, which premiered later that year and has already been renewed for season 2.
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3Kyle Allen
Cast In 2022
After Centineo’s exit,nine months passed before it was announced that Kyle Allen had stepped into the roleof He-Man in January 2022. This announcement came after the time that the rumors had proven to be true and the project officially changed hands from Sony to Netflix, which may have been one reason that Centineo was no longer in the role in the first place. Aaron and Adam Nee were still attached to the project, however, having recently completed a new screenplay draft alongside David Callaham (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse).
At the time the announcement was made, Allen had already appeared in several film and television titles. In the 2010s he would have been best known for his TV work on shows including Hulu’sThe Path, in which he starred opposite Aaron Paul, andAmerican Horror Story, in which he appeared on the first four episodes of season 8,Apocalypse. However, his star had begun to rise further in 2021, during which time he starred in the teen sci-fi romanceThe Map of Tiny Perfect Things, a role he followed by playingBalkan in Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winningWest Side Story.
It was possible that he had aged out of the role while more creative changes took place behind the scenes.
There was never an official statement that the star was no longer attached to theMasters of the Universerole, butAllenhimselfconfirmed his departure in the comments on an Instagram postin January 2024. When a fan lamented that he was no longer playing He-Man, he replied, saying, “thanks yo. me too haha - I’ll come up with something for ya.” There is no word on when or why this decision was made, but it was possible that he had aged out of the role while more creative changes took place behind the scenes.
Allen’s career does not seem to have suffered from his role as He-Man falling through. The actor hasappeared in an increasing number of high-profile movies, both in theaters and on streaming. This includes starring opposite Zac Efron inThe Greatest Beer Run Ever, playing Romeo in Hulu’s Shakespeare retellingRosaline, and taking a role in Kenneth Branagh’s newest Hercule Poirot murder mysteryA Haunting in Venice.
4Nicholas Galitzine
Cast In 2024
The latest update from theMasters of the Universemovie, coming in late May 2024, has revealed thatNicholas Galitzine is now set to play He-Man. The project is now being made under the auspices of Amazon MGM Studios, with this iteration being helmed by three-time Oscar nominee Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings,Bumblebee). Although the new screenplay is still using elements of the Nee brothers and David Callaham’s script, it is now being penned by Chris Butler (Kubo and the Two Strings,ParaNorman,Missing Link).
This character will bea major departure for Galitzine, who has previously primarily held roles as a romantic hero. In addition to starring in the romance moviesRed, White, & Royal Blue(as the Prince of England),Purple Hearts(as a U.S. Marine), andThe Idea of You(as a boy band superstar loosely modeled after Harry Styles), he has starred opposite Julianne Moore in the erotic historical thrillerMary & George, playing a real-life English duke who sought influence with the King via murder and seduction.
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So far, Galitzine’s range of genres has been relatively limited. The closest he’s gotten to a major action role wasappearing in a single episode of the TNT crime dramaLegends. He has slightly more experience with fantasy or fantasy-adjacent titles, having starred in the 2021 musicalCinderellaand the Netflix horror-fantasyChambers. However, the character of He-Man will provide him with a very unique opportunity to spread his wings outside of his typical roles.
It remains to be seen if this particularMasters of the Universemovie comes to fruition. Given the precedent set by the three previous actors either in talks for or officially cast in the role, it isentirely possible that Galitzine’s He-Man will never make it to the screen. If this is the case, it may not be publicly known that he has departed until a brand-new actor is cast in the role several years down the line. However, for the time being, Galitzine will star if the movie is able to escape development hell within a reasonable time frame.
Source:Kellan Lutz/Twitter &Kyle Allen/Instagram
Masters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe is a multimedia franchise that began with Mattel’s 5.5-inch action figures in 1982. Like many popular toys in the ’80s, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe received their own TV show starting a year later in 1983. The franchise has received various TV shows, games, comic books, and even a live-action movie starring Dolph Lundgren in 1987.
