Masters of the Universe: Kellan Lutz in the Running for He-Man

Mattel’s Masters of the Universe is another property that reached peak popularity in the 1980s and has been in line to receive a modern live-action movie reboot makeover in recent years. The IP’s most famous iteration, the cartoon series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (which aired from 1983-84), is a fantasy/adventure series that takes place on the planet Eternia. There, Prince Adam – who, when he summons his powers of super-human strength, is transformed into the warrior He-Man – and his allies do battle with the evil Skeletor and his minions. A spinoff cartoon series, She-Ra: Princess of Power, aired thereafter from 1985-86.

Of course, for some people the 1987 live-action Masters of the Universe film – starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man – is a camp classic and their favorite He-Man project to date. Such fans have no doubt been waiting to see what comes of the proposed Masters of the Universe film reboot that director McG (Charlie’s Angels, Terminator Salvation) has been working on since at least the beginning of 2016. Well, it now appears that McG and Masters of the Universe producer Mary Viola (The DUFF) have begun to meet with actors who could potentially play Prince “I have the power!” Adam in the movie.

Kellan Lutz has confirmed – through his official Twitter account – that he met with McG and Viola about the Masters of the Universe live-action movie reboot, almost undoubtedly about the role of Prince Adam/He-Man. No surprise, fans have wasted little time in creating their own mock-ups of what Lutz would look like as He-Man, as you can see below.

Lutz played roles on such TV series as Generation Kill and 90210 before he gained more attention for his role as the vampire Emmet Cullen in the Twilight movie series. The actor has since taken steps to make a name for himself as an action star – with supporting roles in such films as Immortals and The Expendables 3 (co-starring the original He-Man, Dolph Lundgren, no less), in addition to a leading role in Renny Harlin’s The Legend of Hercules: a critical/commercial bomb, released in 2014. It’s not clear at this stage whether Lutz should be considered a front-runner to play He-Man in McG’s Masters of the Universe or is just one of the candidates that are being considered for the role – a role that Lutz certainly does look, if nothing else.

The Masters of the Universe reboot itself has proven to be something of a challenge so far, with directors such as Jon M. Chu (Now You See Me 2) having worked on the project in the past – drawing from a script that’s been written and re-written by such names as Predators writing duo Michael Finch and Alex Litvak, as well as Jeff Wadlow (Kick-Ass 2) and, most recently, Christopher Yost (Thor: The Dark World). A day before Lutz’s announcement, McG indicated on Twitter that he’s currently attempting to figure out the right tone for the film – something that will no doubt impact who is ultimately cast in the He-Man role.

We’ll keep you up to speed on Masters of the Universe‘s development as more information becomes available.

Source: Kellan Lutz [via io9]