Nicholas Galitzine and Original He-Man Dolph Lundgren Share a Special Moment at “Masters of the Universe” Premiere

Nicholas Galitzine plays He-Man in the 2026 remake of 'Masters of the Universe,' nearly 40 years after Dolph Lundgren originated the role

NEED TO KNOW

• Nicholas Galitzine stars as He-Man in the 2026 remake of Masters of the Universe, nearly 40 years after Dolph Lundgren’s original portrayal
• The two posed together on the carpet and at the after-party of the movie’s Los Angeles premiere

• Lundgren praised Galitzine at the premiere, calling it an honor to pass the role to him

Nicholas Galitzine and Dolph Lundgren prove that there is room in the world for two super-human blonde hunky He-Mans.

Galitzine, 31, stars as the character in 2026's remake of Masters of the Universe, nearly 40 years after Lundgren, 68, originated the live-action role in the 1987 cult classic. The actors posed together on the carpet of the film's Los Angeles premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre on Monday, May 18, along with the rest of the cast, which includes Morena Baccarin, Camila Mendes and Idris Elba, and director Travis Knight.

Lundgren and Galitzine were also all smiles at the premiere's after-party, posing together with their fists up in true superhero fashion.

Lundgren told PEOPLE at the movie's premiere that seeing Galitzine take on the part felt like "passing the sword over."

"It was a great feeling for me," he said. "It's great that he's such a great He-Man and I think it's a great production and I was really honored to be part of it. It was fun for me to show up in a movie and give him some advice when he needs it the most."

Lundgren reflected on the impact of the franchise, which is based on the Mattel action figures, and its lasting power 40 years later.

"There's still something special about this franchise," he told PEOPLE. "There's something about what they created back in 1982, I think it was, the series came out, the little cartoon came out and the toys, and there's something about it that people respond to."

In Masters of the Universe, Galitzine's He-Man teams up with warrior Teela (Mendes) and a group of allies against Skeletor (Jared Leto) and sorceress Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie) to save his ravaged home of Eternia.

An official synopsis for the film reads, "To save his family and his world, Adam must join forces with his closest allies, Teela and Duncan/Man-At-Arms and embrace his true destiny as He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe.”

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Masters of the Universe arrives in theaters June 5.