‘Masters of the Universe’ Live-Action Film Finds its He-Man in Kyle Allen
American Horror Story actor Kyle Allen is set to play the lead role in Netflix and Mattel’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Masters of the Universe.
Producer Mattel Studios and Netflix jointly announced the recruitment of the actor, who showed up recently in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. He will take up the sword and skimpy costume of He-Man in a film to be directed and co-written by the Nee Brothers, who are currently finishing up the upcoming Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum film The Lost City. Noah Centineo was previously attached to the lead role.
Netflix took over the project from Sony Pictures, who still retain release rights to the film in China. Otherwise, it’s expected to release globally via the streaming platform. The official synopsis reads as follows:
In Masters of the Universe, Allen will play an orphan named Adam who discovers he is a prince destined to be the savior of a faraway land. He must quickly learn of his power and the importance of saving his true home from an evil force.
Robbie Brenner, head of Mattel Films and an executive producer on the project, said the following regarding Allen’s casting:
“Masters of the Universe is an iconic property that shaped the imaginations of an entire generation of kids with the message of becoming the best version of yourself. With our partners at Netflix, we look forward to showing audiences that anything can happen in Eternia. We are continuing to unlock this global franchise in new ways, and we can’t wait to see Kyle battle it out with Skeletor in this epic live-action saga.”
After 14 years in the making (with a number of different filmmakers), the Nees co-wrote this iteration of the script with Dave Callaham (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings). Brenner and Kevin McKeon will lead the project for Mattel Films. Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, and Steve Tisch (Being the Ricardos, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) are producing with DeVon Franklin.
This marks yet another push from Netflix into the realm of animation and translating classic cartoon and anime properties into live-action. More specifically, the streamer has already given the Masters of the Universe franchise a big dose of love in the form of an animated sequel series from Kevin Smith that was released last year.
Francisco J. Ruiz is that guy who has watched Jurassic Park a thousand times and loves Star Wars. His hunger for movies is only matched by his love for video games. He graduated in English Studies from the University of Malaga, in Spain. As he keeps writing about what he enjoys (and doesn’t) for websites all over, he’s continuing his studies.
