Noah Centineo, who is best known for playing Peter Kavinsky in Netflix's To All The Boys trilogy, will no longer star as He-Man in Sony's Masters of the Universe. At this time, it is unclear why the 24-year-old actor exited the slow-developing live-action reboot.
Masters of the Universe has been stuck in development for over a decade and was pulled from Sony’s 2021 release schedule last year. Filmmakers like John Stevenson (Kung Fu Panda), Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians), McG (Terminator Salvation), and David S. Goyer (Krypton) have all been attached to direct Masters of the Universe at one point or another. In 2018, Sony settled on Aaron and Adam Nee (Band of Robbers) to write and direct the project.
The original Masters of the Universal film was released in 1987 and was based on the successful He-Man toy line as well as the animated series (1983-85). The film starred Dolph Lundgren and followed He-Man, a mighty superhero who attempted to defend Earth from his nemesis Skeletor (Frank Langella). He-Man possessed superhuman strength and was the alter ego of Prince Adam. While the original Masters of the Universe grossed only $17 million worldwide on a $22 million budget, it is now largely considered a cult classic.
Centineo was in talks to play the titular role in 2019 but Collier has learned that he recently left Masters of the Universe for unknown reasons. It is unclear who will replace Centineo and if the film will get made at Sony. In the meantime, an animated sequel to the Masters of the Universe franchise is in the works at Netflix. The Kevin Smith-produced series is titled Masters of the Universe: Revelation and is expected to drop on the streaming platform within the next few months. The cast includes Lena Headey, Diedrich Bader, Kevin Conroy, Liam Cunningham, and Mark Hamill.
Earlier this week, Centineo was cast to play a lawyer in an untitled Netflix espionage drama. The eight-episode series was created by Alexi Hawley (The Rookie) and will see a former CIA asset blackmail the agency, forcing them to exonerate her of a serious crime.
This isn’t the only big-budget project the high-demand actor is attached to. Centineo is also set to star as Atom Smasher in DC’s Black Adam. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Orphan, Unknown), the DC blockbuster stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as the title role. The large ensemble cast features Aldis Hodge as Hawkman, Quintessa Swindell as Cyclone, and Pierce Brosnan as Dr. Fate/Kent Nelson.
Master of the Universe has been pulled from Sony's schedule.
Source: Collider