‘Cats’: Will Idris Elba be able to shed his macho image and shine as Macavity the mystery cat?
English actor, writer, director, producer, musician, DJ, rapper, and singer, Idris Elba wears many hats. He has been known for roles in recent hit television series and movies like ‘Luther’, ‘Star Trek Beyond’, ‘Thor Ragnarok’, ‘Dark Tower’, and the works. In fact, if rumors are to be believed, he could be up for the role of the swashbuckling James Bond even. He was even a part of the latest ‘Fast & The Furious’ franchise, ‘Hobbs & Shaw’. Throughout his career, Elba has established a screen image of being the tough, macho man, who solves problems, deals with the clichéd ‘bad guys’, and performs high-octane stunts. But never before have we seen him in a role that would require him to replicate the antics of a cat, albeit in a human form.
His role in the upcoming movie, ‘Cats’ is precisely that. Elba plays the role of the villainous Macavity the ‘mystery cat’ in the clan of ‘Jellicle Cats’. The movie, a screen adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s longest-running musical play, is all set to hit the theaters this December 20, and we cannot wait to see Elba in a never-seen-before role.
Macavity goes by the nickname, ‘The Hidden Paw’. In the cat world, he is the ultimate criminal, with an extremely sly streak. He is never punished, because ‘he is never seen at the site of a crime’. There is even a song describing his characteristics and his antics, which perfectly defines his sobriquet. As we have seen in the trailer, Elba is all fur-clad, pointy-eared, with an ominously catty look, whiskers, et al. This is surely an image we cannot conjure up when we think of the name ‘Idris Elba’ and his on screen performance.
Although he is a defiant criminal in the movie, it still cannot ward off our thoughts that he is, well, ultimately, a ‘cat’. This is a huge jump from how we are used to seeing the actor over the years. After all, a man of his repertoire is hard to ignore, especially when it comes to a character overhaul. A musical is always a challenge, as most actors would claim, and we are yet to see if Elba can do justice to his new image.
The cinematic rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Cats’ is all set to release in the theaters on December 20, 2019.