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Elba told the NBA icon that he wants that starring role and later explained why it was important to him.
Could we receive a Michael Jordan-approved biopic one day? Most likely…and when it goes down, Idris Elba wants that starring role as the basketball legend. Biopics were already all the rage but in recent years, we’re seeing more of these films on big and small screens. Elba has been hailed as one of the leading forces in Hollywood as studios and festivals around the world clamor for his talents, but one of the roles the actor wants the most is that of Michael Jordan.
Elba recently chopped it up with Complex and revealed his story behind asking Jordan face-to-face if he could portray him in a biopic. Things didn’t go the way he wanted.
Jonathan Daniel / Stringer / Getty Images
“So Jordan had these wicked getaways in the Bahamas, you know what I’m saying? He would invite a bunch of people out. I think me and Gabrielle Union went out, we was promoting a movie, I think it might have been Daddy’s Little Girls and you know, I was gassed to be at Jordan Weekend.”
He admitted to meeting Jordan “once or twice,” but it was “just to say hello.” Elba added, “I even said to him one time, ‘I want to play you.’ He was like, ’Hm, I’m not ready yet.’… I was dead serious.”
“In my head, playing Jordan wouldn’t be about playing the basketball player, it was about the businessman. He is a very astute businessman, really smart. And his work as a philanthropist is unspoken, but people don’t understand the work. He cares, he does a lot of work. So that’s where I was hinting at. I wanna play Jordan, I’m doing that. He was like, ‘I’m not ready for that story yet.’”
No one is quite sure when Jordan will be ready, but it will be interesting to see who snags the role in the end. Do you think Elba would be a good pick? Check out the actor with Complex below.
Elba told the NBA icon that he wants that starring role and later explained why it was important to him.
Could we receive a Michael Jordan-approved biopic one day? Most likely…and when it goes down, Idris Elba wants that starring role as the basketball legend. Biopics were already all the rage but in recent years, we’re seeing more of these films on big and small screens. Elba has been hailed as one of the leading forces in Hollywood as studios and festivals around the world clamor for his talents, but one of the roles the actor wants the most is that of Michael Jordan.
Elba recently chopped it up with Complex and revealed his story behind asking Jordan face-to-face if he could portray him in a biopic. Things didn’t go the way he wanted.
Jonathan Daniel / Stringer / Getty Images
“So Jordan had these wicked getaways in the Bahamas, you know what I’m saying? He would invite a bunch of people out. I think me and Gabrielle Union went out, we was promoting a movie, I think it might have been Daddy’s Little Girls and you know, I was gassed to be at Jordan Weekend.”
He admitted to meeting Jordan “once or twice,” but it was “just to say hello.” Elba added, “I even said to him one time, ‘I want to play you.’ He was like, ’Hm, I’m not ready yet.’… I was dead serious.”
“In my head, playing Jordan wouldn’t be about playing the basketball player, it was about the businessman. He is a very astute businessman, really smart. And his work as a philanthropist is unspoken, but people don’t understand the work. He cares, he does a lot of work. So that’s where I was hinting at. I wanna play Jordan, I’m doing that. He was like, ‘I’m not ready for that story yet.’”
No one is quite sure when Jordan will be ready, but it will be interesting to see who snags the role in the end. Do you think Elba would be a good pick? Check out the actor with Complex below.
