From the first moment Stringer Bell brooded onto our screens, it was immediately clear to anyone with a modicum of common sense that Idris Elba was a force to be reckoned with — a man made for the lights, the cameras and the action.
Having caught our collective eye that his show-stealing turn in The Wire, the towering thespian has gone on to feature in several critically-acclaimed hit shows including The Office and The Big C, while also making a considerable splash with big movie projects like Thor, RocknRolla, American Gangster and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance. A bona fide star, the 39-year-old is in serious demand.
Set to flex his muscles and blow some monstrous bad guys to smithereens in Guillermo del Toro‘s awesome Pacific Rim, Big Driis is lining up a major blockbuster year, kicking it all off with a high-profile turn in the eagerly-awaited Prometheus. Clogging his portfolio with several big budget features, the versatile actor will also be reprising his role as Heimdall in Marvel’s Thor 2.
Not one to rest on his laurels, the East Londoner has promised a third season of BBC detective drama Luther, revealing plans for a ”high-octane,” action-packed narrative.
To the delight of the show’s fans, Elba and Luther creator Neil Cross also announced that steps are being taken to produce a big-screen adaptation of the well-received programme.
“We’re going back to a four-episode format [for series three], high-octane Luther stuff. We’re going to close out a couple of storylines,” he tells Vulture.
Elba confirmed that Luther’s show runners are “really preparing for the big screen,” describing a film adaptation as a “very strong goal.”
“It’s not in stone yet, but it’s something we definitely want to aim towards,” he added.
“Luther – he’s way bigger [in his reactions] than an English cop would ever be,” he also said. “I think part of the TV show’s popularity in England is that it’s sort of ridiculous to see an Englishman that big in a lot of these scenes. But it actually works because of how grandiose some of the crimes are.
“I really do want to make Luther into a film. I think that’s where the ultimate Luther story will unfold – the big silver screen.”
From London to Hollywood; Crimewatch reconstructions to BBC dramas.
Not bad for a young Hackney boy.
[...] for that Luther film that Cross has been hinting at since at least March and which Elba says he really wants to make, it seems to be practically a sure [...]