Masters Of The Universe doesn’t exactly have the best reputation when it comes to live-action reputations. The first adaptation in 1987 was a notorious bomb, something that the new reboot hopes to avoid. Masters Of The Universe will be directed by Bumblebee‘s Travis Knight, a director with proven experience at salvaging franchises. Bumblebee was able to right the course of the live-action Transformers films after the Michael Bay directed main installments started to stall. Fans of the franchise have been getting a lot of news about the movie, and the latest news is some of the best imaginable. Deadline reports that Idris Elba is slated to join the reboot’s cast, playing Duncan, Man-At-Arms.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Elba will join Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man, Riverdale’s Camila Mendes as Teela, and Allison Brie as Evil-Lyn. Rumors have Amazon MGM Studios eyeing Jared Leto for Skeletor, but so far nothing has been confirmed. In Masters of the Universe, Duncan is the person who trained Prince Adam, the alter ego of He-Man and is the father of Teela. He was trained by the legendary Dekker and fought in the war known as the Great Unrest. King Randor of Eternia ordered Duncan to create strike force, which would become the titular Masters of the Universe. In most Masters Of The Universe media, Duncan is He-Man’s right hand man, helping the powerful Prince of Eternia battle the forces of Skeletor.
[RELATED: Masters of the Universe Movie Reboot Gets Release Date]
This is a great role for someone like Elba to play. Few actors can pull off a grizzled veteran who seems like he can beat anyone like Elba can. Elba is also no stranger to franchises with a fantasy slant, having played Heimdall in three of the four Thor movies. Elba brings starpower to the new film, and also gives hope to fans of the franchise as the actor is known for appearing in quality productions and even when the movie isn’t great, like The Dark Tower adaptation.
Even with this latest news, Masters Of The Universe has a hard road in front of it. Reboots aren’t as novel as they once were, and it’s a franchise that hasn’t been extremely popular in a long time. Netflix’s Master Of The Universe: Revelation, helmed by Kevin Smith, made a minor splash but quickly faded away. It’s been decades since it was the hottest toy line in America, and the last live-action adaptation wasn’t anything to write home about. Masters Of The Universe getting an actor of Elba’s stature is a feather in the cap for the film.
Masters Of The Universe releases on June 5th, 2026.