A Masters of the Universe reboot has been in development for a decade and a half, and in recent years, it looked like the project was finally on track to happen over at Sony Pictures. However, it was announced last year that Black Adam star Noah Centineo would no longer play He-Man, leaving the reboot in limbo. Well, today brings word that not only has Centineo’s He-Man replacement been found, but Masters of the Universe has found a new home.
Starting off, Kyle Allen, who recently appeared alongside Rachel Zegler and Ansel Elgort in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story remake, has taken over the He-Man role. You might also recognize Allen from his role as Hawk Lane in the Hulu series The Path, or maybe you caught him recurring as Timothy Campbell in FX’s American Horror Story. In any case, he is now the second actor to play He-Man in live-action, following Dolph Lundgren’s time as the character in 1987’s Masters of the Universe.
The other big announcement is that Masters of the Universe is no longer being housed at Sony. Instead, Netflix has partnered with Mattel Films to handle its release. Given that the streaming service was already in the He-Man business through the animated shows Masters of the Universe: Revelation (which was overseen by Kevin Smith) and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (which will air its second season on March 3), it makes sense that the reboot will now join the lineup of Netflix movies.
The Nee Brothers, the filmmakers behind the upcoming Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum-led movie The Lost City, are still attached to direct Masters of the Universe, and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ David Callaham is writing the script. Production is reportedly being planned to start this summer. Should that hold, it’s likely we’ll learn in the coming months who will join Kyle Allen in the Masters of the Universe cast.
The Masters of the Universe property started as a toy line in 1981, and its popularity skyrocketed with the original He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series that aired from 1983 to 1985. This mythology blending science fiction and fantasy revolves around Prince Adam, who is able to turn into the mighty He-Man with the magic Power Sword and protects the realm of Eternia from the sinister Skeletor, who is desperate to learn the secrets of Castle Grayskull. He-Man’s allies include his twin sister She-Ra (who’s led various spinoffs of her own), his pet tiger Cringer (who can turn into Battle Cat), Teela, Man-At-Arms and Orko.
As soon as more details about the Masters of the Universe reboot come in, we’ll let you know. In the meantime, those of you who are subscribed to Netflix will want to check out what the platform plans to deliver in February.
