Noah Centineo Explains Why He Did Not Play He-Man in Masters of the Universe Reboot

The film adaptation went through multiple reboots and changed two lead actors before finally arriving in theaters in 2026.

Noah Centineo has discussed his missed role as He-Man in Masters of the Universe. Sony Pictures originally cast the actor in 2019 when the studio handled the adaptation, but the project failed to reach production over the next two years.

According to Centineo, work on the film progressed quite far, with the creators showing him preliminary scenes, location designs, and world-building plans. However, production faced constant delays, and his contract simply expired as a result.

“We were very close. I went through the whole audition process. We even filmed screen tests in a loincloth, everything as it should be. The project was postponed again and again. I think they wanted to keep remaking it, and then the contract term simply expired. We moved on.”

Noah Centineo

Following his departure, Masters of the Universe changed hands for several more years. In 2022, the film rights transferred to Netflix, which selected Kyle Allen as the new He-Man. The streaming service spent about $30 million developing that version before canceling the project in 2023 due to a growing budget.

Amazon MGM Studios made the next attempt. The studio assigned the film to director Travis Knight, and Nicholas Galitzine ultimately secured the role of He-Man. This specific version reached theaters in June 2026.

The film performed weakly at the box office, grossing $113.5 million against a reported budget of $170 million, but it is currently succeeding on streaming. Centineo himself remained pleased with Galitzine’s performance:

“It’s a really tough movie. I watched it, and Nick is great. People don’t understand how hard it is to genuinely play all that heightened theatricality. I really liked what he did and what he was going for.”

Noah Centineo

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