Even though Kyle Allen has been cast as the new He-Man (he replaced Noah Centineo), fans are still hoping for Alan Ritchson to get the part.
Every couple of years, the eighties come back to captivate new generations with their neon-fueled nostalgia. It happened before with the massively successful Transformers live-action franchise, and it seems like we get a “spiritual successor” to some obscure eighties flick every other year.
That might be why we got so many shows based on the legendary Masters of the Universe on Netflix in recent years. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and a couple of He-Man animated shows have tested the waters regarding how interested modern audiences are in getting an updated version of the adventures of the Prince of Eternia.
As it turns out, He-Man’s popularity still hasn’t died out. While it would be impossible to reach the same levels of popularity that the Masters of the Universe once commanded, a rebooted version of some of the most iconic characters of the eighties wouldn’t be the most unexpected idea coming out of the Hollywood remake machinery.
And actor Alan Ritchson seems perfect for the He-Man role.
For years now, there have been rumours floating around about an upcoming live-action Masters of the Universe film. It wouldn’t be the first time that such a project has tried to become the next big thing in cinemas, as we had the 1987 Masters of the Universe movie as a grim reminder of just how wrong things can turn out.
One of the most prominent reasons why fans never cheered for the 1987 live-action version is that Dolph Lundgren was not the best choice to play someone like He-Man. He had the looks, that’s for sure, but he lacked the charisma of Prince Adam: that charm was what made the animated version feel more than just a Conan the Barbarian rip-off.
If a successful Masters of the Universe live-action adaptation were ever to be produced, we’d need the right actor to play the role of He-Man. A few names immediately come to mind, including everyone’s favourite Asgardian god, Chris Hemsworth. However, we believe that Alan Ritchson, of DC fame, would be amazing playing Prince Adam (He-Man) in a live-action version of Eternia.
Ritchson has recently been making the rounds thanks to his stellar performance in Amazon Prime’s Reacher. The espionage thriller has garnered a considerable amount of fans, who in turn have begun noticing Alan Ritchson’s acting chops and how similar his body type is to that of He-Man.
Muscular actors and stunt doubles are dime a dozen in Hollywood. Finding someone butch enough to play a convincing He-Man in live-action Masters of the Universe shouldn’t be such a daunting task — the problems arise when you notice that the meathead you hired for the part could use some extra time in a high school’s theatre class.
Any DC fan would be able to tell you that Alan Ritchson strikes the perfect balance between the physically imposing and the dramatically complex – just like He-Man. His role as Hank Hall, aka Hawk, in DC’s Titans provided some of the show’s better moments.
Even before his days as part of the Titans ensemble, Ritchson was already a well-known face for DC fans for playing Aquaman in Smallville. Also worth mentioning for those who love all things eighties-related, Ritchson voiced Raphael in the latest live-action rendition of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, so jumping from there to Masters of the Universe makes perfect sense.
In any case, it’s safe to say that Hollywood might be looking at the ideal guy to play the lead role in a Masters of the Universe revival when they see Alan Ritchson. Considering the momentum the actor has garnered with Reacher, now’s a good a time as ever to announce him as the one to play He-Man.
And if he isn’t interested, there’s always The Rock.
