More and more properties are getting scooped up by studios in order to make the next big franchise, and Mattel's Masters of the Universe might finally be next in line. Popularized by the 80's cartoon He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, it was a fantasy/adventure series where young Prince Adam would transform with his magical sword into the powerful He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe, and defend the secrets of Castle Grayskull from the evil Skeletor. It's mega 80's, and a new live action movie has been in development hell for years. It's been picking up steam lately, though, and it looks like the producers are starting to meet with actors to potentially play He-Man. Kellan Lutz, best known from Twilight, has confirmed that he is in early talks for the role.
Kellan Lutz confirmed on his Twitter account that he has met with Masters of the Universe director McG (Terminator Salvation, Charlie's Angels) and producer Mary Viola (The DUFF) about a role in the movie. He doesn't explicitly say that the role was for He-Man, but...come on, look at the guy. He definitely looks the part and fans have already posted mock-ups of the actor as He-Man. It's a pretty safe bet that that's who he's playing. You're not going to take a guy like that and make him Orco. While we know that a meeting at least took place, it's too early to say that Lutz is the front-runner for the part. The producers could be meeting with multiple actors for the lead role and Lutz's meeting simply went well.
He certainly looks the part, and I'd imagine that Lutz can handle the physicality of the role as well. The actor is arguably best known for his role in Twilight as the vampire Emmet Cullen. He's also taken supporting roles in other action films such as Immortals, and The Expendables 3. In addition, he had the lead role in The Legend of Hercules, which flopped at the box office. Despite these roles, more people may remember him from his brief cameo on 30 Rock, where he played a man-baby version of himself who liked to eat marshmallows that had been warmed in his uncle's pockets. If producers want to keep fans happy, his He-Man probably won't be anything like this:
The Masters of the Universe movie has taken a while to get off the ground and has changed some hands over the years. Jon M. Chu (Now You See Me 2) has worked on it in the past before having to move on. There have been numerous drafts written for the reboot from writers like Christopher Yost, to the duo of Michael Finch and Alex Litvak. The movie is still in development, so there's no release date just yet, but we can expect to hear more news from the movie soon. Keep checking in to CinemaBlend for all your He-Man updates.
