Sir Idris Elba was 'all for' Masters Of The Universe reboot

Sir Idris Elba was "all for" joining the new Masters Of The Universe film because He-Man was "a really big part" of his childhood.

The Luther star, 53, is among the famous faces in the cast of the reboot - including Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man and Jared Leto as Skeletor - and he's confessed he was thrilled to take part because he was such a huge fan of the cartoon series when he was a child.

Elba told Empire magazine: "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."

The original film was released in 1987 and starred Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor.

The movie was based on Mattel's line of toys which previously spawned a popular 1980s cartoons series - He-Man and the Masters of the Universe - before the characters made it to the big screen.

Elba plays Man-At-Arms in the new big screen reimagining and he was keen to get onboard after hearing director Travis Knight's plan for the film.

He added: "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: 'S***, I’ve gotta get into the gym!’'"

He added of filming: "It was like being at a big amusement arcade with all these massive characters."

Knight also spoke about casting Leto as the film's villain revealing the actor was keen to get involved because he "his own history with the character".

The moviemaker told the publication: "Skeletor was a really interesting villain. He looked cool. He was scary. He was funny. He was insecure. And then of course he had this distinctive voice ...

"I wanted someone to craft their own version of that. Jared approached us, because he loves Skeletor and has his own history with the character.

"He wanted to swing for the fences. And ultimately we landed on something that I’m really happy with. Skeletor’s kind of the embodiment of toxic masculinity."

Masters of the Universe - which also stars Camila Mendes and Alison Brie - is due for release in June 2026.