Idris Elba is a big and very handsome lump of charisma on-screen and in real life. He was reportedly offered a role in the next James Bond movie, and he would absolutely crush it, but they didn’t like that Elba was a bit too old. This would mean they’d only be able to milk him for two or maybe three movies. He dodged a bullet, if you ask us, as thanks to his charm and acting skills, the 50-year-old actor is now free to choose whatever role he wants without getting toxic tweets from idiots not understanding that 007 is a title.
Either way, to celebrate Idris Elba’s birthday, we’ve made a short list of his best and most memorable roles!
1. The Wire (2002-2008)
One of the best TV series in history, according to many critics and a whole army of fans. It’s about the ins and outs of the Baltimore police, who use wiretaps to fight crime. That’s the premise, but there’s much more to it: corruption, human trafficking, drugs, personal drama, etc. The still relatively unknown Elba plays an extremely slippery boss of the drug mafia who refuses to be caught.
2. Luther (2010-2019)
One of Idris Elba’s most incredible projects is, by far, Luther. In this psychological crime drama, much more focus is put on the relations between the characters than on the actual criminal cases handled by the police. John Luther, a no-bullcrap detective, has outstanding investigative skills, but at the same time, he’s a wildcard with no regard for the rules. After letting a female criminal get too close, Luther sets off a ticking time bomb that becomes more of a threat with each new season.
3. 28 Weeks Later (2007)
Danny Boyle’s successful post-apocalyptic thriller about a virus pandemic that turns people into feral killers got a sequel directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo. Surprisingly, it turned out quite well! The 2007 project received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the audience and a good box office haul. In the original, 28 days have passed since the beginning of the pandemic, and London is pretty much destroyed. In the sequel, it’s been 28 weeks, and by this time, Britain is being taken over by the military to begin rebuilding the country. That’s where Elba’s character comes in.
