The long-awaited big screen reboot of Masters of the Universe finally has a 2021 release date, directors in Adam and Aaron Nee and a star in Noah Centineo. The actor has broken out in the past couple of years thanks to roles in Netflix romantic comedies like The Perfect Date, Sierra Burgess Is a Loser and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and now he will be taking on his biggest role yet as He-Man.
Starring in such a massive film as a beloved character is not something Noah Centineo takes lightly. The actor made it clear he understands the burden, saying:
It’s a really big responsibility. This is like first one in, last one out every single day, which I’ve done before, but I’ve never done it on a studio level. Which, studio level is the same as indie, but like, they got playback... It’s a big opportunity and I feel more than ready to tackle it.
Noah Centineo is under no illusions about Masters of the Universe being just like any other role. He knows that the role of He-Man is not like a character in a Netflix rom-com; it comes with lots of baggage and the weight of expectation. So there is a major responsibility to get it right and do the character and the property justice for the legions of fans that have loved Masters of the Universe over the years.
The actor seems to understand that that responsibility will in many ways fall on his shoulders, and as such he has to work extra hard on a level of production he never has before to deliver. He may not have been alive when He-Man was at his pop culture height, but Noah Centineo still understands that this movie is a big deal for him and for the fans.
As he tells MTV News, he knows it’s a big opportunity for his career, and fortunately, Noah Centineo sounds ready for the challenge, confident that he has the power.
He’ll need to have the confidence of He-Man and not Prince Adam because as is the case with the casting of a role in any major genre adaptation, Noah Centineo will face tons of scrutiny (and already has). Some have complained that the actor isn’t muscular enough to play He-Man, a condition he appears to be remedying by bulking up for the role.
Noah Centineo may not look the part quite in the way Dolph Lundgren did in the 1987 Masters of the Universe, but Lundgren’s He-Man likeness didn’t make that a great movie (it had its charms though), and as we’ve seen with Heath Ledger, Ben Affleck, Hugh Jackman, etc, it’s best to wait and see before casting a final verdict.
The big question now is what sort of movie Masters of the Universe will be and what the tone will be like. It seems like the property could be played like more serious, grand, high fantasy in the vein of Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings or more colorful and light like Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor: Ragnarok. Noah Centineo wasn’t able to shed any light on what tone Masters of the Universe will be going for, but we’ll be eagerly awaiting details on that front.
Masters of the Universe is directed by Aaron and Adam Nee and based on a script by Matt Holloway and Art Marcum. It hits theaters, to face off with Mortal Kombat, on March 5, 2021. That’s a long time to wait, so check out our 2019 Release Schedule to see what’s headed to theaters this year.
