After years of speculating that Idris Elba could play the next James Bond, it appears the 52-year-old actor is about to sign up for a very different type of action hero. For the first time since 1987, the mustachioed character of Man-at-Arms, colleague of Prince Adam, and father of Teela, is becoming flesh-and-blood once again. Played by Jon Cypher in the first film version of Masters of the Universe, the man with the orange mace could be realized, fully and completely by Elba in the new He-Man film coming in 2026.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Elba is in “final negotiations to play Duncan, aka Man-at-Arms,” in the new film Masters of the Universe, set to release on June 5, 2026. For those who had action figures in the 1980s, this is excellent casting. While voiced brilliantly by Alan Oppenheimer in the original 1983 cartoon, and played with workman-like efficiency by Cypher in the 1987 film, the dreams of Man-at-Arms coolness have never been fully realized, at least not relative to the imaginations of kids who played with the classic toys. But a certified badass like Elba could change all of that.
The lore of He-Man tells us that Man-at-Arms is a weapons master, his real name is Duncan, and you basically don’t mess with him when it comes to everything having to do with battle. In many ways, Man-at-Arms is a full-on ripoff of Dune, a swordsman mentor who serves as a mashup of Duncan Idaho and Gurney Halleck. He’s the guy who trains everyone in Eternia how to fight, which has always created an interesting counterbalance to the existence of He-Man.
Yes, He-Man has quasi-superpowers, but the existence of Man-at-Arms was always a reminder that in this world, you would still need guys who could get the job done, even without a magical power sword.
This Masters of the Universe movie stars Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, and Camila Mendes as Teela, who, again, is the daughter of Man-at-Arms. The new Masters, directed by Travis Knight, is a wild reboot of the original concept, which,will find Prince Adam (aka He-Man) growing up on Earth as a young boy, before heading back to the planet Eternia to do battle with Skeletor. (As of this writing the iconic character of Skeletor remains uncast.)
Presumably, Elba’s Man-at-Arms won’t make it all the way to Earth, but instead, will be on Eternia, waiting to help out Prince Adam with the good fight. In a sense, Elba has been prepping for this role for a long time thanks to his take on Heimdall in the Thor films for the MCU. And his star power could lend credibility to a movie project, which, admittedly, has a somewhat silly premise, and theoretical demographic. Elba’s casting could be a good sign for the long-gestating project, simply because ‘80s kids will instantly agree he’s perfect for the role, and everyone else who never cared about He-Man will be pumped to see Idris Elba swinging around all kinds of fantasy weapons, looking like a boss while he does it.
