After years of speculation that Idris Elba could play the next James Bond, it appears the 52-year-old actor is about to sign on to play a very different kind of action hero. For the first time since 1987, the mustachioed character of Man-at-Arms, colleague of Prince Adam and father of Teela, becomes flesh and blood again. Played by Jon Cypher in the first film version of Master of the Universethe man with the orange club could be fully embodied by Elba in the new He-Man film, coming in 2026.

Accordingly The Hollywood ReporterElba is in “final negotiations to play Duncan, aka Man-at-Arms,” in the new film Master of the Universereleases June 5, 2026. For those who had action figures in the 1980s, this is an excellent lineup. While brilliantly voiced by Alan Oppenheimer in the original 1983 cartoon and played with workmanlike efficiency by Cypher in the 1987 film, the dreams of man-at-arms cool were never fully realized, at least not compared to children’s imaginations who played with the classic toys. But a proven badass like Elba could change all that.

He-Man lore tells us that Man-at-Arms is a weapon master, his real name is Duncan, and he’s basically not one to mess with when it comes to anything combat-related. In many ways, Man-at-Arms is a complete rip-off of dunea swordsman mentor who serves as a mashup of Duncan Idaho and Gurney Halleck. He’s the guy who teaches everyone in Eternia how to fight, which is always an interesting counterbalance to He-Man’s existence.

Yes, He-Man has quasi-superpowers, but the existence of Man-at-Arms always reminded us that in this world you still need people who can do their jobs, even without a magical sword.

The Master of the Universe The film stars Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn and Camila Mendes as Teela, who is the daughter of Man-at-Arms. The new MasterDirected by Travis Knight, it’s a wild reboot of the original concept that sees Prince Adam (aka He-Man) growing up as a young boy on Earth before returning to the planet Eternia to fight Skeletor. (As of this writing, the iconic character of Skeletor is not yet known.)

Presumably Elba’s Man-at-Arms won’t make it to Earth, but will instead be on Eternia, waiting to help Prince Adam fight the good fight. In a way, Elba has been preparing for this role for a long time, thanks to his interpretation of Heimdall on the series Thor Films for the MCU. And his star power could lend credibility to a film project that admittedly has a somewhat silly premise and theoretical demographics. Elba’s casting could bode well for the long-running project, simply because ’80s kids will immediately agree he’s perfect for the role, and everyone else who never cared about He-Man will be thrilled Idris Elba can be seen in all sorts of roles using fantasy weapons and looking like a boss.

Master of the Universe will be released in theaters on June 5, 2026.