By the power of Grayskull, Mattel Films has partnered with Netflix to develop and release its long-awaited live-action Masters of the Universe movie.
The project was originally in development at Sony, with To All the Boys star Noah Centineo lined up to play the beloved hero He-Man from the classic ’80s franchise.
Sony and Centineo are now out, and West Side Story‘s Kyle Allen has been tapped to portray the sword-swinging protagonist instead. Mattel Films hasn’t disclosed why it dropped Sony and Centineo from the project and chose to work with Netflix and Allen instead.
The film will begin production this summer with Lost City‘s Aaron and Adam Nee (aka the Nee Brothers) co-directing from a script they co-wrote with David Callaham (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings).
Robbie Brenner (executive producer and Kevin McKeon (VP) will helm the feature for Mattel Films, and Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal and Steve Tisch (Being the Ricardos) and DeVon Franklin (Hancock) are producing.
The new movie tells the story of how an orphan named Adam discovers he’s actually a prince destined to save his homeland Eternia by using his newfoud powers as He-Man against the villain Skeletor.
Masters of the Universe is the third project in the Masters franchise for Mattel Films and Netflix, following last year’s premieres of 2D-animated reboot series Masters of the Universe: Revelation and CG-animated series He-Man and the Master of the Universe, which Netflix recently reupped for a second season that will drop on March 3.
The original Masters of the Universe TV series ran from 1982 to 1985, in the wake of the launch of Mattel’s action-figure toy line and comic book series. The IP hit the big screen in 1987, with the rollout of feature film Masters of the Universe starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man. The movie only grossed US$17 million in the US, according to Box Office Mojo, but would eventually become a cult classic. He-Man had more success in the toy aisles, generating a licensing and merchandising program worth US$2 billion, according to Mattel.