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Masters of the Universe finds a new He-Man in Nicholas Galitzine as pre-production heats up

The project is undergoing major changes under the new direction.

Nicholas Galitzine in Bottoms (2023)
Image credit: MGM Pictures

We were just wondering earlier this month about whether the new iteration of the long-in-development Masters of the Universe live-action movie would recast the role of He-Man, and now we have a positive answer. Nicholas Galitzine has landed the part.

The previous iteration of the project - which was ultimately scrapped at Netflix - had the Nee brothers (The Lost City) at the helm and Kyle Allen (West Side Story) announced to star in it as Adam/He-Man. With Travis Knight (Bumblebee) and his writing partner Chris Butler (Kubo and the Two Strings) taking over the movie next, the entire thing is being changed... again.

Via Deadline, the announcement came straight from Amazon MGM Studios on May 29. "We’re thrilled to bring the beloved Masters of the Universe to life and couldn’t be more excited to announce the immensely talented Nicholas Galitzine as our He-Man," said Julie Rapaport, head of film production and development at Amazon MGM Studios.

Galitzine also shared the casting news on Instagram, expressing his excitement about jumping on his biggest on-screen role yet: "I’m so beyond proud to announce that I will be playing Adam, Prince of Eternia in ‘Masters of the Universe’. It has been a dream for so long to play someone of his heart, humour and heroism, I cannot wait to get started." The young actor has quickly risen to fame with major roles in recent hits such as Red, White & Royal Blue, Bottoms, and The Idea of You.

Though the basic plot might also change a bit before cameras start rolling, the current official synopsis reads as follows: "Masters of the Universe introduces a 10-year-old Prince Adam, who crashed to Earth in a spaceship and was separated from his magical Power Sword — the only link to his home on Eternia... After tracking it down almost two decades later... Prince Adam is whisked back across space to defend his home planet against the evil forces of Skeletor. But to defeat such a powerful villain, Prince Adam will first need to uncover the mysteries of his past and become He-Man: the most powerful man in the Universe!" Hopefully, this seemingly cursed movie will finally happen for real this time and hit the screens in summer 2026.

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