The live-action Masters of the Universe film officially casted Kyle Allen as He-Man. Mattel Films will produce the movie, and Netflix will distribute it.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film is set to start filming in Summer 2022. The Nee Brothers are assigned to direct and wrote the screenplay along with Shang-Chi writer David Callahan. The project was originally in development at Sony, where Noah Centineo was set to play He-Man. It has not been moved to Netflix. The streaming service is already home to two Masters of the Universe adaptations, namely the 2D animated series Masters of the Universe: Revelation and the CG-animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
Deadline reports that Allen, age 27, recently appeared in West Side Story as Balkan. Allen currently appears in Hulu’s The Path and has a recurring role in the 2018 edition of American Horror Story. He will now be playing the iconic hero of the Masters of the Universe lore.
Master of the Universe’s long history as a franchise
The Masters of the Universe franchise started in 1981 as an action-figure toy line. It quickly turned into a comic series, and then in 1983, it became a popular animated series that ran for two seasons. The lore has had a few reiterations. Throughout most of them, He-Man’s true identity has been Prince Adam, the Kingdom of Eternia’s ruler. He transforms into He-Man through the yielding of his Power Sword and works with his allies to protect Eternia from the evil Skeletor.
This will be the second live-action take on Masters of the Universe. The first adaptation came out in 1987, starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor. The film received negative reception and became a commercial failure. Nowadays, the movie has cult classic status.
Are you looking forward to a live-action Masters of the Universe film? Does Kyle Allen seem like the right actor for He-Man? Share your thoughts at The Nerd Stash Facebook page or @TheNerdStash on Twitter.