Noah Centineo no longer has the power. The Wrap reports that the To All the Boys actor will not be playing the part of Prince Adam/He-Man in Sony and Mattel Films’ Masters of the Universe.
Centineo exits the role after joining the film two years ago. Masters of the Universe has been in the works for a while and there have not been many updates. Right now we know that Aaron and Adam Nee are slated to direct from a script “rewritten by Iron Man screenwriters Matt Holloway and Art Marcum.” But it may have been one of the many projects delayed dramatically due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Masters of the Universe series follows Prince Adam of Eternia, who is able to transform into the mighty He-Man with his Power Sword. He defends the kingdom from the lord of memes Skeletor. The series was based on Mattel’s massively successful toy line and was adapted into two cartoons that people remember fondly, and a cult-classic film starring a young Dolph Lundgren as Adam/He-Man. Reboots have been in the works for decades, but no progress has been made, and this latest attempt doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
The Masters movie may not have been a major priority since there is an animated He-Man series from Kevin Smith that is premiering soon, following the wrap-up of the very successful She-Ra reboot on Netflix from Dreamworks Animation. A spokesperson from The Wrap reached out for more information about the project, but no updates have been shared so far.
Masters of the Universe would’ve been the first major Hollywood lead role for Centineo, who became the internet’s boyfriend due to starring as the himbo du jour, Peter Kavinsky, in Netflix’s To All the Boys films. He has been in some feature films as a supporting player, but that is really it outside of the Netflix rom-com industrial complex.
But being part of that industry has made Centineo a household name and a recognizable face in a way not many actors can command. Masters of the Universe was supposed to be his big leading-man break, yet I don’t think Centineo will be seeing it as a big loss. He has a lot on his plate.
Centineo will instead be joining the DC film Black Adam as Adam Smasher, starring opposite Dwayne Johnson and Aldis Hodge. Black Adam is scheduled to hit theaters on July 29, 2022. He’s going to be a superhero opposite one of the most bankable Hollywood movie stars. And he doesn’t even have to work about changing his character name since they are both Adam anyway.
I’m interested in how Kevin Smith’s animated He-Man series will work. I think that She-Ra really changed expectations for some and became both successful and critically lauded. So I’m hoping that some positive lessons will be taken from She-Ra’s accomplishents while these new installments craft their own vision.
(via SlashFilm, image: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Netflix)
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