Idris Elba Missed Out On A Film That Became a Box Office Smash with $1.2 Billion
Idris Elba has no shortage of roles, both in films and TV series.
For example, right now he has lead roles in a number of upcoming projects, including a feature film continuation of the crime thriller TV series Luther, and thriller mini-series Hijack. In the past he played in both low-budget dramas and massive blockbusters.
He appeared in some of the best-known and most profitable film franchises ever, including MCU, DCU and Fast & Furious (though, it has to be mentioned, that the closest thing to a lead role he had in them was Bloodsport, a rather obscure antihero who featured in 2021s Suicide Squad ).
But there was one, potentially very lucrative, role, which evaded him, despite his best effort. And this role was for some time guessed incorrectly by the fans.
While Disney 's live-action remakes of their animated movies are vocally disliked by a faction of the fans, there is no doubt about their impressive commercial success. Beauty and the Beast (2017), in particular, became the highest-grossing live-action musical film of all time (at least before adjustment for inflation), by earning over $1.2 billion in the box office.
And for some time there were rumors and reports on the net that Idris Elba auditioned for a role in the live-action Beauty and the Beast, but was rejected. At first practically all people assumed that he wanted to play the lead role of the Beast.
But, as Idris Elba himself eventually revealed in an interview with PeopleTV, the role he actually auditioned for was that of the movie's main villain, Gaston.
That role eventually went to Luke Evans, another highly accomplished actor. Though according to anonymous sources, Idris Elba's performance during the screen test was good, he was passed over, and given the success of the remake, its makers cannot be faulted for their choice.
And so Idris Elba missed a chance to add a hefty sum to his net worth, which is currently estimated to be around $40 million, an amount that is actually not so impressive for an actor who both works hard and is hyped as much as Elba – today you need a net worth of over $200 million to even get in the top 50 richest actors in the world.