Beast: Idris Elba Reveals Which of His Other Characters Could Fight the Lion

Beast star Idris Elba revealed which one of his other characters could fight that lion. In a conversation with Brandon Davis from Comicbook.com, the actor said that it would have to be John Luther. He could have opted for Bloodsport or his villain from The Fast & Furious franchise, but went with the down to Earth choice. Elba is well-aware of how much people love Luther and that had to play into that selection. “Definitely John Luther,” the star admitted. “Oh, he wouldn’t be worried, he’d be like, ‘Ah, come on.’” It’s a fun image to conjure, how would a lion even get there? (We’d all probably watch it if we’re being honest. Check out what he thought of tussling with such a ferocious beast down below.

“Man, I mean, obviously no lions in this, but it was definitely, we had to really pay attention,” he explained. “This is a fantastical story, lions don’t attack human beings in this way, but we wanted to make it realistic. I was really keen to make a film that just plucked audiences from wherever they’re sitting and threw them into this family’s predicament right there. So it was interesting, it was really hard work as well.”

Last year, Elba talked to Variety about being excited to start shooting the long-awaited BBC project. “We go into production, fingers crossed, in September. I’m so excited about it, it’s been a long time coming. We’re very, very close to pulling the green light on production,” the star told the outlet.

2020’s BAFTA Awards saw the Luther star explaining how the movie was going too. People really want to see more of the character in any capacity.

“I’ve maintained I’d like to see it come to a film, and that is where I think we are heading towards — a film,” Elba chuckled. “And I’m looking forward to making that happen. It is happening. With film, the sky is the limit. You can be a little bit more bold with the storylines. And a little bit more international, and a little more up the scale. But John Luther is always going to be John Luther.”

When people asked about the BBC movie, Elba offered this about the plot, “has all the ingredients to echo those classic films of the ’90s like Seven and Along Came A Spider and I think what we’d like to attempt is use that as a blueprint to create it. It will be more murder, more Volvos, more frowning Luther. Essentially we just want to try and take it to a much bigger remit and scale and perhaps international as well.”

Are you taking the lion in that fight? Let us know down in the comments!