Noah Centineo Reveals Why His MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE Movie Never Happened
Before Nicholas Galitzine raised the Power Sword in Masters of the Universe, another actor came surprisingly close to becoming the new He-Man.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and Black Adam star Noah Centineo had the part, signed a contract, tried on the costume, and got a look at what the filmmakers were building. Then the whole thing slipped away.
Centineo recently opened up about why he left Masters of the Universe, and it sounds less like a dramatic Hollywood breakup and more like a case of a movie spending far too long trying to figure out what it wanted to be.
During an interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Centineo explained that he went through the audition process and eventually screen-tested as He-Man, complete with the character’s famous loincloth.
This wasn’t simply an actor being considered for the role, either. He had actually signed on and was given a look at the production designs and plans for Eternia.
The problem was that the movie couldn’t get moving. “They wanted to keep tweaking and tweaking,” Centineo explained, until his contract eventually “ran out.”
That development process ultimately outlasted his commitment to the project. Masters of the Universe continued moving through different iterations and companies, with Centineo saying Netflix eventually acquired the movie before Amazon took control of it and Nicholas Galitzine was cast as He-Man.
Considering how far Centineo got, there’s naturally a question about whether footage of him suited up as the most powerful man in the universe is sitting on a hard drive somewhere.
When the possibility was brought up, Centineo suggested that some material could still exist, though he also joked that the studio “might’ve burned it.“
It would certainly be interesting to see what his take on the character looked like. Centineo also understands why cracking He-Man for live action has proven to be such a pain in the ass.
“It is so difficult to step into such a role,” he said, adding that making a convincing He-Man movie is “not an easy” task.
The history of Masters of the Universe’s journey to the big screen backs him up. Dolph Lundgren played He-Man in the 1987 film, with Frank Langella delivering his wonderfully theatrical take on Skeletor and Courteney Cox also appearing in the cast. T
he movie reportedly cost around $22 million to make and earned approximately $17.3 million worldwide. It was hammered by critics and audiences at the time, but over the years it managed to build a dedicated cult following.
The 2026 Masters of the Universe went considerably bigger, carrying a reported $170 million budget and putting Galitzine at the center of a cast that also includes Camila Mendes, Jared Leto, and Idris Elba.
Even with that hefty investment, the movie earned roughly $113.5 million worldwide. Its reception has been more positive than the 1987 film, though, with Rotten Tomatoes currently showing a 67% critics score and an 86% audience score.
As for Centineo, he doesn’t appear bitter about watching somebody else wield the Power Sword. After seeing Galitzine as He-Man, he called the actor “incredible” and said he loved what the new He-Man was “trying to do.”