Idris Elba as Man-at-Arms looking up near rubble in Masters of the Universe 2026Image via Amazon MGM
Idris Elba is one of the most in-demand actors in the business, with several projects lined up during a particularly prolific phase. Elba will soon reprise his role as the iconic detective John Luther in the third feature-length spin-off of the popular series; he will also return as Knuckles the Echidna in the fourth Sonic the Hedgehog movie. But before these two titles, Elba will star in the fantasy adaptation Children of Blood and Bone, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. The latter movie is designed to spawn a new franchise, as is Elba’s latest release, Masters of the Universe. But this isn’t the first time that Elba has appeared in a potential fantasy franchise-starter, and he would most certainly hope that his two new attempts don’t end like the last one.
In 2017, Elba headlined a long-gestating Stephen King adaptation that had gone through a turbulent development phase with numerous directors coming and going. Over the years, the project was conceptualized as a television series spearheaded by Lost trio J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, and Carlton Cuse; and then as an ambitious cross-media franchise overseen by Ron Howard. During this second phase, Russell Crowe and Liam Neeson were said to be circling the project, which was eventually turned into a movie with Nikolaj Arcel at the helm and Howard serving as an executive producer. Arcel had gained acclaim in the European arthouse circuit, but this was his first major Hollywood gig. The experiment didn’t pan out.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
The Matrix
Mad Max
Blade Runner
Dune
Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
Where’s the Franchise Headed Next?
We’re talking, of course, about The Dark Tower adaptation released in 2017. The movie featured Matthew McConaughey opposite Elba, with Tom Taylor playing the teenage audience surrogate character. The Dark Tower underperformed commercially, grossing $113 million worldwide against a $66 million budget. It was also a non-starter with critics, and now holds a 16% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The aggregator website’s consensus pithily reads, “Go then, there are other Stephen King adaptations than these.” King stood up for the movie in later interviews, but Howard and his producing partner, Brian Grazer, admitted they’d dropped the ball. A new adaptation of the epic novels is now being developed by longtime King fan Mike Flanagan. Meanwhile, the ill-fated 2017 version is witnessing a spike on streaming. According to FlixPatrol, it was among the most-watched movies on the global HBO Max chart this week. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
