Idris Elba’s best roles: from The Office to DC and Marvel superheroes

“The Wire” (“The Wire”), 2002-2008

Elba began his television career in the mid-’90s, but his first notable success came after the cult project from the early 2000s, The Wire, in which he played the role of drug dealer Russell “Stringer” Bell.

The series lasted for three seasons, and a few years later, Elba returned to television with a small role in The Office. The project revealed the comedic talent of the actor, who previously preferred more serious and at times frankly gloomy stories.

“Once in April” (“Sometimes in April”), 2005

Elba’s first major role. The HBO movie is based on the Rwandan tragedy and the genocide of the Tutsi people. Ten years after the horrific events, Idris’ hero returns to his hometown, where his brother, the propagandist and radio host who fueled hatred during the genocide, is on trial.

Idris plays a hero torn by conflicting emotions: on the one hand, he plunges into the bloody period of his country, on the other, he tries to understand the motives and actions of his only surviving relative. The result was a powerful and hysterical portrait of a man split in two.

“28 Weeks Later” (“28 Weeks Later”), 2007

While Elba was writing as a writer, he moved on to the potentially more successful 28 Weeks Later, the sequel to Danny Boyle’s apocalyptic horror film. In the film, the actor played the fierce General Stone, who oversees the work of the US Army and gives uncompromising orders as they try to restore order in London after the zombie invasion.

“Rock-n-Rolla” (“RocknRolla”), 2008

Working with a more hit format bore its first fruits: Guy Ritchie drew attention to Idris, who invited him to the ironic skit “Rock and Roll” for the role of Mumli. The Hero of Elba, along with other members of the London gang “Wild Gang”, is sentenced after a series of criminal swindles, but unlike the others, he escapes with little bloodshed.

“Luther” (“Luther”), 2010-2019

The main breakthrough in the career of the actor was shooting in the crime series “Luther”. His character, Chief Inspector of London Police, John Luther, is a man with a complex inner morality and a distinctive code of honor. He befriends sociopaths and prefers to fight criminals in his own way.

The result is an obscure yet exciting hero of our time, balancing between good and evil. For this role in 2012, Elba received the long-awaited Golden Globe and Emmy TV nomination.

“Thor” (“Thor”), 2011

In today’s world, every actor who wants to have a long and successful career in Hollywood has to be a part of this or that superhero movie universe. Elba has managed to play both DC and Marvel comic book characters. But let’s start with the second: in 2011, the actor played the role of Heimdall, the all-seeing protector of Asgard, dedicated to the god Odin.

This work not only gave the actor an impressive worldwide fan base, but also made an appearance in the franchise’s subsequent sequels.

“Prometheus” (“Prometheus”), 2012

A successful film career is impossible without failures. One of Elba’s first controversial projects as a superstar was the fantasy Alien prequel Prometheus. The actor played the role of Captain Janek, helmsman of the Prometheus spacecraft.

The film garnered poor reviews among world film critics, and audiences did not see the appropriate backdrop for the Alien universe in the film, despite the beautiful visual component.

“Mandela: The Long Walk to Freedom”, 2013

Elba found the perfect balance between mainstream and auteur cinema in 2013. First, the actor played in Guillermo del Toro’s blockbuster Pacific Rim, where he got the next role of a man in uniform – Marshal Stacker Pentecost. Interestingly, Tom Cruise was originally supposed to play this character.

That same year, the dramatic biopic The Long Way Freedom, based on Nelson Mandela’s autobiographical book of the same name, was published. Idris played the role of Mandela, the president of South Africa and a world-renowned civil rights activist. The actor’s work was highly appreciated by critics, the main evidence of which was the star’s next nomination for the Golden Globe.

“Monsters of No Nation”, 2015

Elba’s role is modest financially, but impressive on an acting scale. Set in an unnamed West African republic, the film explores the nature of violence and brutality. The hero of the story – the orphaned Agu – reaches the rebels led by a tough and bloodthirsty Commander (Idris Elba). Second, it becomes a guide for the young hero in a world of adult traumas and monstrous deeds.

Elba was so “tired” of the project that he also acted as one of its producers, helping to find the necessary financing. As a result, his role as Commander helped him garner a string of movie awards: US Screen Actors Guild Award, Independent Spirit Award, and BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations.

The Dark Tower, 2017

The painting was supposed to be the first of a series of adaptations of Stephen King’s novel series.black tower“. But the tape was so unsuccessful that the project stopped in one movie.

Elba played Gunslinger Roland Deschain, who aims to kill a powerful wizard named the Man in Black. According to King himself, the character of Clint Eastwood in the movie “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” became the prototype for Strelka.

“The Big Game” (“Molly’s Game”), 2017

Elba managed to rehabilitate himself for the failed The Dark Tower with the help of his role as a lawyer in the biographical The Great Game. The actor played Charlie Jeffey, a lawyer who helps protagonist Jessica Chastain survive a complex criminal scam. Elba destroys the gimmicky screenplay metaphor about the “white savior” in his own way – the dark-skinned hero who comes to the white hero’s aid in Aaron Sorkin’s film adaptation.

“Cats” (“Cats”), 2019

Taking his breath away after the defeat of “The Dark Tower”, the actor ended up in another unsuccessful (and very expensive) project – an eccentric film version of “Cats”, which managed to collect both an impressive cast and no less impressive negative reviews .

Elba played the mysterious magical cat Macavity. The role in the musical film allowed the artist to show his vocal talent: not many people know that he has been releasing music albums since the mid-2000s.

Fast and Furious Gifts: Hobbs and Shaw, 2019

While the artistic value of the Fast & Furious franchise has also been questioned, the project has become an iconic piece of popular culture and regularly hits the jackpot at the global box office.

In the next part of the franchise, Idris played the role of the villain Brixton, who aims to destroy half the world’s population with the help of biochemical weapons. The role did not become an example of some outstanding acting work of the star, but it filled his bank account with $ 8 million.

“Suicide Squad: Mission Through” (“The Suicide Squad”), 2021

In 2021, Idris gracefully entered the lives of DC superheroes by joining James Gunn’s Suicide Squad. The actor took on the role of Bloodsport, a convicted superhero who took aim at Superman’s life.

Elba was originally supposed to replace Will Smith on the project and take over the character of Deadshot. However, the producers decided to leave a gap in the plot for Smith’s possible return to the DC Universe and entrusted Elba with a completely different character. Speaking of “Suicide Squad,” James Gunn admitted that each superhero is inspired by different genres of cinema. He says Bloodsport is reminiscent of Steve McQueen’s iconic and controversial movie look from the ’60s.

“Three Thousand Years of Longing”, 2022

Between the next Mad Max and Furiosa, George Miller returns to the screens with a true fairytale mystery: a colorful (as only the director’s visual genius can) tale about an unexpected encounter between Idris Elba’s protagonist Tilda Swinton and Gene. . This work is one of the best in the filmography of the actor, securing the role of a masculine hero, but also able to captivate with the role of a fragile magical creature: to give unimaginable gifts to others, but to dream. simple joy – freedom.

movie world premiere took place It was received with a five-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival, proving how much the audience misses Miller’s worlds. “Three Thousand Year Wishes” is a graceful, clever, and enchanting reminder that magic is nowhere to be found and awaits us just around the corner. Or in the back streets of Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar, as in the movie. It comes out on September 8 on Russian rental tape.

On September 6, Idris Elba celebrates his 50th birthday. In the new year of her personal and professional life, the actress enters the status of a Hollywood superstar, transitioning from ordinary sitcoms to roles in blockbuster movies. socialbites.ca examines the evolution of the artist on the screen, which in the very near future will delight his fans with a new painting – George Miller’s “Three Thousand Year Wish”.



Source: Gazeta

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