Idris Elba Reveals He Turned Down a Role on LOST

Lost was — and remains — one of the biggest hit series in television history, one that people continue to discuss and learn new things about years after its conclusion — and now, we’re learning that Idris Elba almost appeared in the series. During a recent episode of That Peter Crouch Podcast (via Yahoo), Elba revealed that he apparently rejected a role on Lost. According to Elba, he passed on the series after his role in The Wire, opting to go back to the UK to make Luther.

“The woman that runs Apple TV+, she was the commissioner that brought me back to the UK to make Luther, she worked at the BBC at the time and she sent me a script,” Elba said. “It was Luther. I remember, my career was fine, I’d done Stringer Bell but I was doing this, I wasn’t doing that. I remember reading this show, it was a six-part TV show on the BBC in England and everyone was like, ‘You sure you wanna go back home and do that?’ and I was like, ‘This is gonna be a life-changer for me, and it did.’”

“At the same time as Luther, I was offered a role in that show, Lost,” he continued. “It was gonna be a season character and at the time Lost was the biggest show in the world, and I’m thinking, ‘Mmmm, no I’m alright, I’m gonna go back to the UK where it’s gonna be a smaller audience but no one’s seen this character before.”

Idris Elba Will Next Appear in Extraction 2

Extraction 2 is set to hit Netflix in just under a week and star Chris Hemsworth recently revealed a major surprise for fans: his Thor franchise co-star Elba will also appear in the film as an antagonist for Hemsworth’s Tyler Rake. Elba was featured in a new teaser trailer for the film that Hemsworth shared on social media.

Here’s how Netflix describes Extraction 2: Chris Hemsworth returns as Tyler Rake in Extraction, the sequel to Netflix’s blockbuster action film Extraction. After barely surviving the events of the first movie, Rake is back as the Australian black ops mercenary, tasked with another deadly mission: rescuing the battered family of a ruthless Georgian gangster from the prison where they are being held.

Hemsworth reunites with director Sam Hargrave, with Joe and Anthony Russo’s AGBO producing and Joe Russo writing. Golshifteh Farahani reprises her role from the first film, with Adam Bessa, Olga Kurylenko, Daniel Bernhardt and Tinatin Dalakishvili also co-starring.

What Other Projects Does Elba Have In the Works?

Last month, it was announced that Elba will not only be in front of the camera, but stepping behind it for Infernus, an action thriller from Millennium Media. He’s also serving as a producer on the film which is set to go into production this fall and is based on a story by Tom Boyle and a screenplay by Robert Mark Kamen. The project will be Elba’s second film as a director after 2018’s Yardie.

“I’m excited to be back in the director’s chair, partnering with Millennium Media,” Elba said in a statement. “Infernus is a gripping thriller with a relevant and intimate human story at its core. Thanks to the brilliant writing of Robert and Tom, we have some exceptional characters. I’m really looking forward to this opportunity both in front and behind the camera, filming across Europe, as well as bringing our production to Africa, which has an emerging film community that we are proud to be supporting.”