As Russell “Stringer” Bell on the HBO series The Wire, Idris Elba portrayed a drug kingpin who was second in command in the Barksdale organization. An intelligent planner with a penchant for business and economics, he attempted to reform the narcotics circuit and make the transition from a criminal to a legitimate real estate developer. However, his efforts backfired and ultimately led to his ambush at the hands of Brother Mouzone (Michael Potts) and Omar Little (Michael Kenneth Williams). Although his stint on the show already ended, the 34-year-old actor remains active in the industry with his upcoming action and drama movies.
Idris Elba will once again be part of a drug-themed plot in the movie American Gangster. Slated for release on November 2, the film centers on a Harlem heroin kingpin that smuggles drugs into America by hiding it in the coffins of American soldiers returning from the Vietnam War. The former Wire actor joins Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe as lead stars.
Subsequently, he will be gracing a family-drama film called The Christmas, which focuses on a family’s first holiday together in four years. Elba stars as Quentin Whitfield, alongside Laz Alonso and Jessica Stroup.
Next year, Elba will be starting off with a horror thriller called Prom Night, which is a remake to the classic 1980 film that starred Jamie Lee Curtis. The movie is directed by Nelson McCormick and is scheduled to hit the theaters on April 11.
At present, the former Wire actor is busy filming Guy Ritchie’s movie RocknRolla, which is slated for 2008. Elba plays Mumbles in action-crime plot about London’s criminal underworld and their pursuit of fortune resulting from a Russian mobster’s scam. Simultaneously, he is also working on the movie The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, a mystery-comedy based on the novel of Alexander McCalll Smith.
-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of MSN)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
