The ‘Masters of the Universe’ Live-Action Movie Has Finally Found Its He-Man

Fabulous secret powers are about to be revealed to Nicholas Galitzine. The Mary & George star has been tapped to wield the Power Sword in the long-in-development big-screen version of Masters of the Universe. Variety reports that Galitzine will star as the heroic He-Man in the Amazon MGM Studios film.

After almost twenty years of torturous development hell that would make even Skeletor blanch, the Masters of the Universe movie seems to finally be moving along. Bumblebee helmer Travis Knight will direct from a script by Chris Butler (ParaNorman), and the film is slated to be released on June 5, 2026. Casting Galitzine as He-Man, the musclebound alter ego of Eternian royal Prince Adam, is another step along the path to the film’s eventual release. Says Julie Rapaport, head of film production and development at Amazon MGM Studios, “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. This reintroduction of the character and his universe will be an epic film that will delight audiences from here to Eternia.”

Why Has It Taken So Long to Make ‘Masters of the Universe’?

Although Masters of the Universe was the first of its 1980s toy-box brethren to make the leap to live action, it has since been lapped by franchises like Transformers and G.I. Joe. 1987’s Masters of the Universe movie, starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as a wickedly Shakespearean Skeletor, was produced by troubled upstart studio Cannon Films, and went wildly over budget. It lost money, meaning that the sequel teased in the film’s credits never came to pass. However, when the Masters of the Universe fans of the ’80s reached adulthood, He-fans began clamoring for a new film. A number of directors have been attached to the project over the years, including action mavens McG and Jon Chu, but none have come to pass. Recently, Netflix planned to make MOTU, with Kyle Allen set to star as He-Man with Adam and Aaron Nee attached to direct, but they pulled the plug last year after spending $30 million USD on development alone.

Galitzine is no stranger to playing royalty, although He-Man favors furry underpants rather than the vintage finery he’s used to. He starred as Prince Robert alongside Camilla Cabello‘s Cinderella, and as Prince Henry alongside Taylor Zakhar Perez in Red, White & Royal Blue – both for Amazon. He can currently be seen as royal “favorite” George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham in the Starz miniseries Mary & George, and as fictional pop royalty Hayes Campbell in The Idea of You.

Masters of the Universe will be released on June 5, 2026. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.