From He-Man to Haute Couture: Nicholas Galitzine to Headline Male Supermodel Biopic, With Gus Van Sant in Talks to Direct

Here’s a career pivot I didn’t have on my 2026 bingo card: Nicholas Galitzine, currently waving a big sword around in Masters of the Universe, is eyeing up a radically different sort of role for his next outing. We’re swapping out spaceships and magical swords for runways and, er, cults.

From Eternia to the Catwalk (and Beyond)

Galitzine is set to play Hoyt Richards — if the name doesn’t ring a bell, you might want to watch Bring Me the Beauties: A Model Cult, a new docuseries that’s just landed on HBO. Here’s what makes Hoyt’s story so remarkably film-worthy: in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Richards was the undisputed king of male models, working for everyone from Versace to Valentino and Ralph Lauren. He’s widely considered the first major male supermodel, and for a while he was the highest-paid bloke in the business.

But the real twist? While he was gracing magazine covers and striding around Milan, Richards was also wrapped up in a full-on doomsday cult. Not exactly your typical model backstory.

The Cult Bit (Yes, Really)

The group was called Eternal Values, led by a certain Frederich von Mierers. Von Mierers managed to convince his followers he was actually an alien consciousness wearing a human disguise. Richards, while being the face of major fashion houses, was deep in this world for years. Frankly, if you tried pitching this as a film script before the docuseries, someone in Hollywood would’ve told you to dial it back a notch.

Gus Van Sant in the Director’s Chair?

As if this project needed another reason to get film buffs interested, Gus Van Sant is in talks to direct. He’s just come off a fairly lengthy break — his last was Dead Man's Wire after a seven-year gap, so glad to see there might not be another extended disappearing act. His involvement should give this already bonkers biopic some proper pedigree.

• Nicholas Galitzine – Next up: Hoyt Richards biopic
• Hoyt Richards – First male supermodel, cult survivor, lead of recent HBO docuseries
• Gus Van Sant – In talks to direct
• Key twist – Model by day, cult member by night (roughly speaking)

A Quick Word on Masters of the Universe

Since we’re talking about Galitzine, let’s check in on Masters of the Universe, which — despite having all the ingredients for blockbuster success — has taken a bit of a battering at the box office. In just over a week it’s scraped in $56.2 million, which is shocking when you think about the giant budget and omnipresent marketing. The reviews aren’t even terrible, which in today’s superhero landscape is something — but if you were hoping for a whole franchise, I wouldn’t start holding your breath.

Our reviewer Chris Bumbray summed it up as 'a lot more fun than many recent superhero movies. It contains plenty of humour and heart without ever going overboard on either. As it should be, it’s a hero’s quest story, and Nicholas Galitzine nails the part.'

Now, back to the bizarre world of cults, runways, and male supermodels…