The upcoming Masters of the Universe movie appears to have found room for every fan favourite character imaginable, including one of He-Man's closest allies, Man-At-Arms.
Luther and Thor: Ragnarok star Idris Elba plays this formidable advisor to the ruling planetary monarch and Royal Guard. Talking to Empire Online, the actor explained that taking on this role was an opportunity for him to reconnect with his past.
However, it also meant bulking up so he could do right by the cartoon he loved as a child!
Revealing his love of Masters of the Universe, the British actor said, "It’s a really big part of my childhood. My parents couldn’t afford the Star Wars toys, and the He-Man toys were cheaper, because it wasn’t as big. So I had He-Man, She-Ra, Battle Cat. The cartoons were always a little bit more fun, a bit more camp, a bit more out-there."
Adding that Knight has embraced the franchise's history as a popular cartoon and toy line, Elba continued, "Travis, who’s an incredible director, wanted to pay homage to the aesthetic of the original. I was all for that. Though it made me think, 'Shit, I’ve gotta get into the gym!' It was like being at a big amusement arcade with all these massive characters."
One of the larger-than-life characters he encountered on set was, of course, Nicholas Galitzine's He-Man. The actor also spoke with the site about the transformation needed to play a cartoon hero come to life in the upcoming movie.
"I think anyone seeing that iconic physique would find it extremely daunting," he admitted. "Even the animations put Arnold Schwarzenegger to shame: the proportions, the minuscule waist, the boulder shoulders. I had four or five months to get in shape. Truly, it was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done."
"You just become kind of abnormally confident in it," Galitzine continued. "It’s like when you do sex scenes. Everyone else in the room is more uncomfortable than you are, you know? Wandering around in this costume was empowering."
Back to Man-At-Arms, and a new still featuring the character has also been released today (via Toonado.com). You can take a closer look at that in the X post at the bottom of this page.
In Masters of the Universe, Director Travis Knight brings the legendary franchise back to the big screen in this epic live-action adventure. After being separated for 15 years, the Sword of Power leads Prince Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) back to Eternia, where he discovers his home shattered under the fiendish rule of Skeletor (Jared Leto).
To save his family and his world, Adam must join forces with his closest allies, Teela (Camila Mendes) and Duncan/Man-At-Arms (Idris Elba), and embrace his true destiny as He-Man — the most powerful man in the universe.
Written by Chris Butler and Aaron Nee & Adam Nee & Dave Callaham, and directed by Travis Knight, Masters of the Universe stars Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, James Purefoy, Morena Baccarin, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Charlotte Riley, Kristen Wiig, Jared Leto, and Idris Elba.
Masters of the Universe opens in theaters on June 5, later this year.