Idris Elba Says Luke Cage Has Already Been Cast, And It’s Not Him

A fan-favorite candidate (for this and pretty much every black superhero role) was Luther and The Wire star Idris Elba, who himself had expressed interest in the part in the past.

After expressing interest in a “dark and sexy” take on the character in early 2012, word came in late 2013 that he had been up for the role at one point. 

It seems now, though, that the part has been cast — and it wasn’t Elba who got it.

During a Reddit AMA interview yesterday, Elba was asked by fan what it would take to get Elba into the job.

“Uh, I think there’s an actor already signed on for it, fortunately or unfortunately,” Elba answered, and declined to elaborate.

That he had been playing Heimdall in the Thor franchise didn’t seem to affect the conversation — although it may have affected the final decision, since Marvel has a policy against the same actor playing more than one character in the Marvel Universe. A special exception was made for Paul Bettany, who voiced J.A.R.V.I.S. before moving on to play The Vision in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Stan Lee is an obvious exception, too, but none of his characters have been named.

While he didn’t outright say that it wasn’t him who had been cast, it certainly sounds like that’s the implication.

What’s arguably the most interesting is that his role within the Marvel family may have provided him some insight into whether the part he was once up for had been cast.