We have our new He-Man. Per Variety, Netflix announced on Friday that their upcoming live-action Masters of the Universe movie had just locked down West Side Story star Kyle Allen as its lead. Allen, who also starred in Hulu's The Path and FX's American Horror Story: Apocalypse, will play the movie's version of He-Man. This incarnation is described as "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."

Mattel Studios is partnering up with Netflix for this Masters of the Universe film. The Nee Brothers, the filmmakers behind Band of Robbers and the upcoming Sandra Bullock film The Lost City, are co-writing and directing the feature. David Callaham co-wrote the script with the Nees. Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, and Steve Tisch (Being the Ricardos, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom) are producing with DeVon Franklin. No other casting announcements have been made, though Noah Centineo was previously attached to the role of He-Man before later leaving the project.

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,” said Robbie Brenner, head of Mattel Films. Brenner is also leading the project for the company with Kevin McKeon.

“This movie has been 14 years in the making for us and our partners and we are so excited to tell an entirely new story… and share it with a global audience,” added Black.

Related: He-Man and the Masters of The Universe Announces Season 2 Premiere Date

Netflix Is Going All In With Masters of the Universe

He_ManandtheMastersoftheUniverse_Season1_Episode10_00_11_09_23.0
Netflix

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe premiered as an animated series in 1983, becoming one of the first children's programs to be syndicated on the small screen. The franchise has had a bit of a resurgence in recent years, with new shows getting released on Netflix. In 2021, Kevin Smith debuted the animated continuation series Masters of the Universe: Revelation. In the same year, a separate animated series reboot of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe also started streaming on Netflix.

There have been plans to make another live-action Masters of the Universe movie for many years. Various directors came and left at different points, including Jon M. Chu, McG, and David S. Goyer. A more recent iteration of the film had brought on Noah Centineo to play He-Man, though the actor said last year he wouldn't be starring in the movie after all. With all that said, Kyle Allen's casting as He-Man might not guarantee that the film will finally get made, given all of the false starts it's already had, but it does appear to be a good sign.

Netflix hasn't set a release date for the live-action Masters of the Universe movie.