Why is Idris Elba not given more roles?

Seriously anyone have a clue? The guy is great as Marshal in PAcific Rim, awesome as Heimdall in Thor.

He could be John Stewart, Steel, Black Panther, Blue Marvel, hell he'd be a Superior James Rhodes....

What you guys think CV?

I feel like they give him shaft cuz he's british and doesn't have name appeal.

I really like Idris Elba, and agree that he could play a lot of different comic book roles. Why he doesnt get casted more often, i have no idea. I would assume there are a lot of politics in being casted in either a Marvel or DC film.

Because he isnt a very good actor, he is just overrated right now due to having been cast in several blockbusters.

Haters gonna hate.

Idiots are gonna follow the stream.

Touche.

He's been in LOADS of movies, what you talking about?

Lead roles man, he can def carry a action movie or superhero movie.

I was going to say, he's been in a hell of a load of things this year.

Please close this thread.

Have you seen Luther?

@rogueshadow: I really want to see that show. I've read about it, and i am definitely interested. How many episodes are there?

Only 14, it was short and sweet. But they are doing a prequel movie which is about his pursuit of Henry Madsen [Which finishes as the show starts] a child killer. It's an awesome show, one of my favourite detective series.

He's already in a lot of movies,he's like male version of Renee zellwegger

I agree and I have seen an episode of Luther.

Because he's black, and the majority of lead roles are only open to white people.

Not given more roles? He's everywhere these days.

I disagree. Good actors can pretty much take whatever role they want, regardless of their race. Will Smith was offered the lead role of Superman once.

You can disagree but still just doesn't change the fact. The majority of roles are only open to white people. People of Color couldn't even audition. Example: Hunger Games. Katniss Everdeen is described in the book as having olive skin and straight black hair. Many different people of different races could play that part, but the role was only open to white women for audition.

Actors/Actresses like Will Smith, are able to get many roles, not because they are good actors, because they are known to be in movies that make a lot of money. But they still sometimes face discrimination in selection processes. Another Example: Actors like Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel have commented that many times they are not selected for roles either for not being white enough or not being black enough.

Racial discrimination is a big problem in Hollywood.

well he is playing nelson mandela in the mandela film. from what i hear the flick is amazing and has dominated africas box office. im seeing it saturday on my bday and if it is as good as people say it is idris elba will be put into super star status where everyone will want him.

Hes a fine actor & doesnt just jump at any given role.Also he does alot of stuff for the BBC like documentaries so im sure hes not following the tinsel town fairy dust like most actors of this generation.

Idris Elba King of Speed

wesley snipes had a great career. same with will smith. so how exactly is it the white mans fault? get out of that thinking because nutjob conspiracy theorist say the same regarding the jews and how they run hollywood.

he's a good actor, but he's not better than Denzel Washington.

truth is the only reason why idris isnt becoming the guy is because hes only doing a netflix show ( house of cards) that is it. yea he was in thor and thor 2 but it was just a small role. i really believe if mandela performs well as expected expecially since mandela just passed this can really boost his career. netflix is a good platform but he is also not getting enough exposure as an actor since netflix is its own thing.

He's not that great of an actor,just a decent action actor, but I do agree he could pull off Black Panther and John Stewart.

Because he is a busy man with other things to do apart from every black comic book character.he Does documentaries, tv shows, movies and djs.

or maybe he is just selective when it comes to roles?

Go watch Luther and The Wire.

Yeah that could also be the reason. Not everyone wants to be nic cage with there roles

Did I offend you with the truth? Or are you just going to deny that their isn't a racial discrepancy in film and television?

Like really? You name two black actors and you think that's enough for everything good and dandy and that there is no problem?

If you won't accept that, how bout this:

Marvel studios has produced 12 films, all of them starring Straight White Male characters. And you're telling me this is a conspiracy theory.

It's because he's black and the evil white man is trying to hold a brother down!

Haha, seriously though, maybe he just sucks at picking film.

@agent9149: most of those comic characters were white to begin with, they even switched the races from white to black with Nick Fury, gate keeper from thor was white in comics, I think, also I might be forgetting a few. I doubt it's a race thing like your trying to make it to be, just look at it this way, America is predominately white (72% white since 2010) so it would make sense for movies and commercials to target white people.

Got to love these overly defensive posts that cherry pick a few successes in the vast majority of non-successes and call it evidence.

Anyway, black people are still regarded negatively overseas, and some people overseas even refuse to watch movies with blacks on a poster. Here in the USA movies with too many black characters, especially if many of them are on the movie poster, are immediately thought of as those "Black people movies, not made for white people." I thought this was all well known information, jeez. These companies are making the decisions they do because they want to make cash, and black people don't guarantee that (even in their own movies). It has little to do with "hatin da down trodden black man". But when they find winners like Smith, Perry or Washington of course they are going to push them like they would do of any white star.

there's not a market for black people in movies, games, & anime. Black people only makeup 12 % of the population in america. there there are only so many types of role black people can play in a movie.

Do you have any credible evidence that the role of Katniss was only open to whites? Keep in mind that even if that particular instance is true, it doesn't prove your point. It only adds support to it.

Will Smith is in movies that make a lot of money because he is a brilliant actor.

I also would like these quotes from both of these actors. As all of the things you are saying would add some weight to your words.

explain the karate kid reboot or explain the smith's new reboot of annie who btw was written to be a red head white girl and yet there turning her black. personaly i dont care for the movie but lets not pretend that wont be an issue. its like saying hey lets cast an all white cast for a color purple remake. as a white man myself i know that wouldnt work at all if they ever rebooted color purple

well he was in pacific rim wich did terrible at the box office so makes sense as to why his career is a bit hurt. a lot of actors are very specific in what they want to do. you have a guy like sir ben kinglsy who said he himself prefers to do every genre wile someone like an aaron eckhart or a jason stathman prefer more crime and drama roles. it really boils down to what a actor prefers regarding the genre of the film and if they are into that or not. for all we know maybe idris elba prefers political thrillers or biopictures on real people?

@farkam: seen it.

Potatoes gon' potate!

Elba is a solid actor, you be trippin'. He was superb as Stringer Bell in The Wire, and gave an awesome speech in Pacific Rim. Even the Mandela movie - while not critically-embraced - still had many critics praising Elba for his performance, even if they didn't enjoy the actual film itself.

I'd say Elba would make the perfect Black Panther. The quiet yet cunning king of Priest's run - I can picture that.

@veshark:

I'd say Elba would make the perfect Black Panther. The quiet yet cunning king of Priest's run - I can picture that.

YES!

for bp they should go with Aldis Hodge he's young enough and a decent actor to play the role.

All Smith related stuff if you haven't noticed. As for the race changes, that's simply to get the small black audience out there to watch. Are you this thick normally, or is it only when it comes to race issues that you put your "lalalalala" ear muffs? Jeez. If you are going to be this ignorant and naive in race related discussions let's just not even talk to each other, because...damn man...

Heh, doubt it. Because then you would know that he can act well. Someone who can't act is someone like Keanu Reeves or that silly girl that played Bella Swan. He behaves differently in each of his roles. Heimdall is not Luther and Luther isn't Stringer. They all behave differently and have different mannerisms. Only a talented actor can do that. You know, act. Act like different people. I am not saying Idris is a GREAT actor either, but to say he isn't a very good actor makes no sense.

Green lantern. It deserves a second chance and STEWART SHOULD be the man.

@tazzmission Attitudes established in the 1960's (and long before) is what is responsible for this entire discussion anyway, so no one can really forget it until things have changed for good (which they won't). These same attitudes are still affecting people to this very day. Just because a black looking person is in office doesn't mean all the stuff that has been set up with in society is just irrelevant now or going to immediately go away. Stop being naive. Also, your spelling and grammar is awful.

I like him, but seriously, he isn't THAT great, he's just being overhyped at the moment, mostly by John Stewart fans wanting him desperately. He was /okay/ in Pacific Rim, and nothing more than a supporting character in Thor. Honestly, his best work to date is Stringer in The Wire, which almost no one even knows about.

He was also in Ghost Rider.

im sorry but you cant live in the past and i may get a lot of heat for this but using the race card is an excuse and i can argue and say you yourself should look up to a guy like nelson mandela because for a man like him who went through what he did he put all his shit aside and fixed a lot of racial hate not just in africa but around the world when it came to whites and how blacks were treated. its easy to say oh the shit from the 1960's is still present . no its not. back in the 60's it was almost impossible for anyone who was black to do anything. i mean how many black tv stars have you seen in the 60's compared to today same with movies? today you dont see that segregation like the 60's had

Um, no one is saying that there hasn't been any change at all. It's just slow due to the all the racial attitudes of old (helped along by blacks themselves) still lingering about.