Masters of the Universe is a beloved franchise that's been around since 1982. And while it had a failed live-action adaptation in 1987 with Dolph Lundgren and Courteney Cox, moviegoing audiences will once again be brought to Eternia when Travis Knight's forthcoming blockbuster hits theaters this summer. It looks like it will be one of Nicholas Galtizine's biggest movies, although he recently spoke about just how grueling it was to bulk up to play He-Man.
What we know about Masters of the Universe has been limited, but the footage that's been released so far feel super accurate to the source material. Galitzine previously compared wearing He-Man's costume to doing sex scenes, and during an interview with EW he revealed just how hard it was to get swole for his leading role. As he put it:
Truthfully, I feel like I learned a lot about myself and how far I was willing to push myself and really suffering for it. And it took a really, really long time. It's really not for the faint of heart. This is something that you need to do full-time for six months minimum, but I'm really happy.
The trailer for Masters of the Universe has showed the fruits of that intense labor. The Red White and Royal Blue actor looks huge as Adam Glenn/He-Man, and his body is almost unrecognizable from his past projects like The Idea of You. While he was always fit, it's clear just how much he bulked for MOTR.
Galtzine's body was on display from the first Masters of the Universe sneak peek, and He-Man's skimpy costume doesn't leave much to be imagined for the 31 year-old actor. He says he really suffered for the weight gain, and spoke more about how "personal" this process was for him. As he put it:
Obviously, it's such a personal journey for you, and you see your body every day and really it's not till people who've seen you six months prior then see you there — in Eternia, [Skeletor's home] Snake Mountain, Subternia, wherever it may be — you gain validation off of other people's reactions to it.
While fans of Galitzine had to wait until footage for Masters of the Universe to see just how swole the actor got, his collaborators on the movie definitely took notice. Director Travis Knight spoke about how surprising the transformation was to witness, offering:
He was training on set as we were in prep. And when I saw him again, I was like, holy s---. I couldn't believe how much he had changed. He had put on so much muscle in such a short period of time. Sometimes I'll look at photos back when I first met him, and it looks like a totally different dude.
Talk about hard work. One can only imagine how intense those workouts were, and how many calories Nicholas Galitzine had to consume in order to put on the weight. That work paid off, although I have to assume that he'll be looking much bigger when reprising his role as Prince Henry in Red, White & Royal Wedding.
Rather than pretending that training for He-Man wasn't difficult, I appreciate that Galitzine was so real about how hard it was. But he looks the part, and we'll be able to see him wield the Power Sword in a few months.
Masters of the Universe will hit theaters on June 5th as part of the 2026 movie release list. And I can't wait to see He-Man and Skeletor come to blows on the big screen.
