First Look: Nicholas Galitzine is He-Man in upcoming Masters of the Universe

Fans of the popular 80’s He-Man cartoon and toys were given an unexpected treat yesterday with the release of the first official look from Masters of the Universe. Nicholas Galitzine, who won our hearts with his role in The Idea of You, will wield the unmistakable Sword of Power in the first live-action adaptation of the hero since 1987. As soon as the image dropped online, social media users were abuzz with excitement and anticipation to see what’s in store with the newest interpretation of the character set to hit the silver screen in 2026.

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Nicholas Galitzine’s He-Man Transformation

On the heels of his first taste of success as a leading man, Nicholas Galitzine has been propelled into the stratosphere with his latest casting as He-Man. Recently, he sat down with W Magazine to detail his impressive physical transformation for his role in Masters of the Universe. At first he came across in a tongue-in-cheek, self-deprecating way when alluding to the pressures of portraying such a beloved character.

“No pressure, I just have to embody the strongest man in the universe”

He went on by describing his regime in greater depth.

“There’s been a lot of eating and weightlifting, a lot of stunts. I’m eating about 4,000 calories a day, but the amount of physical work I’m doing, you end up hungry at the end of the day, which is quite surprising. This is the fun part.”

Although it’s clear the actor is having a blast, he warned that the physical preparation will only get more grueling as the production continues.

“I will eventually go into what’s called the cutting phase, where I’m going to be starved and so rude to everyone. I can only apologize for the person I’m going to become in a few months’ time”

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Masters of the Universe - Everything we know so far

As of now, Amazon MGM has been tight-lipped about any plot details concerning the upcoming release. What we do know is the film will be directed by Travis Knight, based on a script that has been contributed to by several writers. A previous version of the film was in development at Sony and Netflix but ultimately fell to the wayside because of reported budgetary concerns (as per Deadline).

While the synopsis of the film is unknown, the official cast for the movie has been announced. The news has certainly given hope to audiences that the IP is in capable hands. Galitzine will be joined by several A-listers including Iris Elba, Jared Leto, and Alison Brie, as well as other familiar faces in Camila Mendes, Morena Baccarin, James Purefoy and Hafthor Bjornsson who round out the ensemble.