'Masters of the Universe' Star Nicholas Galitzine Nears Deal to Play Ichabod Crane in Sydney Sweeney's 'Hollow'

Ichabod Crane has never been short of screen time. Washington Irving’s nervous schoolmaster has been adapted numerous times, from Disney’s classic animated film to a Fox television series, and most famously in Tim Burton’s 1999 take on ‘Sleepy Hollow’, where Johnny Depp played the part. Now ‘Hollow‘ is preparing to give the character a very different look.

Sony Pictures is developing ‘Hollow’, a reimagining of ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ that is told from the perspective of Katrina Van Tassel, played by Sydney Sweeney.

According to an exclusive from Deadline, Nicholas Galitzine is in final negotiations to play Ichabod Crane opposite Sweeney. The deal has not been formally announced, but the report says he beat out a long list of actors who were chasing the part.

Deadline notes that Katrina is the star of this story, while Crane remains a beloved character. That makes the casting a chance for Galitzine to put a fresh spin on a figure audiences already associate with Depp.

The film is based on filmmaker Lindsey Anderson Beer’s forthcoming debut novel, which is set to be published in the fall of 2027. Beer is writing and directing the adaptation, and she is also producing through her Lab Brew banner.

Instead of following Ichabod, the story puts Katrina at the center of a dangerous mystery and a seductive supernatural love triangle. Described as a gothic supernatural thriller with an erotic element, it tells the story of the Headless Horseman from her point of view.

Belmont Cameli, who stars in Prime Video’s ‘Off Campus’, was cast earlier as Brom Bones, Ichabod’s rival for Katrina’s affections. Deadline reported at the time that producers were still looking for their Crane, so Galitzine’s casting fills the final corner of the triangle. Cameli is also set to appear in the second season of ‘Off Campus’, which has already begun filming.

Cameli has said the project is heavily thematic and stylized, and he told Entertainment Weekly that he thinks it will be fun for genre fans. Sweeney’s busy schedule reportedly pushed the production to move quickly on casting. She recently wrapped her work on ‘Euphoria’ season 3, and she has ‘The Housemaid 2’ coming up as well.

‘Hollow’ is produced by Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap, Beer’s Lab Brew and Sweeney’s own production banner. It is the first film produced by that banner, which has a first-look deal with Sony Pictures.

No release date has been announced for the film, and further casting and production details have yet to be revealed. For now, the project remains in development at the studio.

Casting Galitzine would be a change of pace. He starred as Prince Adam and He-Man in Amazon MGM’s ‘Masters of the Universe’, directed by Travis Knight, which reached theaters on June 5, 2026. Jared Leto played Skeletor in the film, and Idris Elba and Camila Mendes appeared as Man-At-Arms and Teela. It was the first big-screen He-Man story since the 1987 version starring Dolph Lundgren, and Galitzine had to bulk up for the part.

Before that, he became known to audiences through ‘Red, White & Royal Blue’ and ‘The Idea of You’, where he appeared opposite Anne Hathaway. He also starred in the Starz series ‘Mary & George’.

Tim Burton’s 1999 film put Crane at the center, with Christina Ricci as Katrina and Casper Van Dien as Brom. This new take is not meant to be a copy of that film. Galitzine’s Ichabod will appear, but he is secondary to Sweeney’s Katrina, according to The Playlist.

That shift could be what makes the project stand out in a crowded field of Sleepy Hollow retellings. With a new Crane, a Brom Bones from a hit series and a story that gives Katrina her own voice, the film already has a distinctive mix of ingredients.