Nicholas Galitzine may need to call his hairdresser. The brunette “Idea of You” actor has been cast as He-Man, the blond barbarian who inspired the popular Mattel toy, in the upcoming film adaptation “Masters of the Universe.”
“Bumblebee” director Travis Knight is directing the movie for Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel. By the power of Grayskull, the long-delayed film will be released in theaters on June 5, 2026.
“Masters of the Universe” has endured a particularly torturous, two-decade-plus journey to the big screen. The project was set up at Warner Bros. and Sony before moving to Netflix, which axed the film in 2023 over budget concerns. Countless directors, including “Kung Fu Panda” filmmaker John Stevenson, “Wicked” helmer Jon M. Chu, “Charlie’s Angels” filmmaker McG and“The Lost City” duo Aaron and Adam Nee, have cycled through the movie since 2007. “West Side Story” actor Kyle Allen was at one point attached to play He-Man; it’s unclear when those talks fell apart.
Chris Butler is writing the screenplay after David Callaham and the Nee brothers took an initial crack at the script, based on the 1982 action figure. Plot details are being kept under wraps. According to a prior synopsis from the studio, “Masters of the Universe” follows Prince Adam a.k.a. He-Man, who crashes to Earth in a spaceship as a child and, decades later, returns to his home planet to defend it from the evil forces of the baddie known as Skeletor. But in order to defeat the powerful villain, he needs to uncover the mysteries of his past and become He-Man, referred to in this world as “the most powerful man in the universe.”
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“Masters of the Universe”will be produced by Escape Artists’ Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch, as well as Mattel Films’ Robbie Brenner. It’s one of 15 live-action motion pictures in development — some more curious than others — at Mattel Films, including Daniel Kaluuya’s “Barney,” the Jennifer Lopez and Anthony Ramos animated “Bob the Builder,” rapper Lil Yachty’s heist thriller “Uno” and Vin Diesel’s “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots.” Mattel’s first and only film, so far, has been the billion-dollar blockbuster “Barbie” for Warner Bros.
“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. “This reintroduction of the character and his universe will be an epic film that will delight audiences from here to Eternia.”
“Masters of the Universe” continues Galitzine’s relationship with Amazon MGM Studios after most recently starring opposite Anne Hathaway in the romantic comedy “The Idea of You.” He also appeared in the studio’s “Red, White & Royal Blue” adaptation and will return for the forthcoming sequel.
Galitzine’s other credits include Amazon’s “Cinderella” remake starring Camila Cabello and Netflix’s “Purple Hearts.” Galitzine is represented by the U.K.’s Curtis Brown Group; WME; Anonymous Content; The Lede Company; Gang, Tyre, Ramer and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole.
