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Nelson Mandela, left, in 1952 when he was just four years older than actor Idris Elda, right, is now. PA Images

The Wire star to take up Nelson Mandela role in May

British actor Idris Elba – best known as Stringer Bell in HBO TV series – is to star in Long Walk to Freedom.

A BRITISH ACTOR who because noticed for his role as ambitious gangster Stringer Bell in cult television series The Wire will now play Nelson Mandela in a biopic.

Idris Elba is to begin filming on Long Walk to Freedom on 26 May, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The movie comes from Pathé productions, which produced the recent Margaret Thatcher biopic The Iron Lady, starring Meryl Streep.

The Mandela movie has been in the pipeline for the best part of a decade and a half when South African producer Anant Singh secured the movie rights to the Mandela autobiography, also called Long Walk to Freedom. (The BBC have a powerful slideshow here which tracks the progress of South Africa, and Mandela himself, from segregation to his release from 27 years of imprisonment to his election as President of South Africa).

The movie is to be shot in many of the locations where Mandela’s life story unfolded, including at Robben Island where he was held for much of his 27 years of imprisonment until 1990.

Mandela, now 93, was hospitalised with a stomach problem last month and underwent surgery.

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    Mute Emsy wemsy
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    Mar 20th 2012, 12:33 PM

    Cool,he was brilliant in the wire

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    Mute Mark O'Flaherty
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    Mar 20th 2012, 2:08 PM

    Stringer bell, what a loveable bad ass

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    Mute Aidan Keogh
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    Mar 20th 2012, 2:43 PM

    Thas how they do

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    Mute Úna-Minh Caomhánach
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    Mar 20th 2012, 12:59 PM

    Stringer Bell deciding on a career change I see ;)

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    Mute Emsy wemsy
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    Mar 20th 2012, 1:07 PM

    Well,the first careers outcome wasn’t exactly ideal ;D

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    Mute Mark osullivan
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    Mar 20th 2012, 1:51 PM

    Damn I miss that show! They should give young michel his own tv show.. Or perhaps marlo…

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    Mute Lee Marvin
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    Mar 20th 2012, 3:33 PM

    It’s in the game yo.

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    Mute Deirdre O Keeffe
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    Mar 20th 2012, 4:01 PM

    True dat!

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    Mute Biddy Mulligan
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    Mar 20th 2012, 1:38 PM

    I would have thought morgan freeman would be the right man for the job?!

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    Mute Aidan Keogh
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    Mar 20th 2012, 1:52 PM

    Not for the young stuff! He was suited to Invictus though

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    Mute Lee Marvin
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    Mar 20th 2012, 7:05 PM

    I was amazed as well that neither he nor Dominic West were yanks. Their accents were brilliant. what superb tv that was.

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    Mute Joseph O Reilly
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    Mar 20th 2012, 1:18 PM

    Great casting

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    Mute Gerry campbell
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    Mar 20th 2012, 9:56 PM

    And what about mayor carcetti one of our own and a brilliant accent too

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    Mute Derville Kennedy-Comiskey
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    Mar 20th 2012, 11:52 PM

    Not forgetting his brilliant performance in Luther

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    Mute Kevin Maughan
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    Mar 20th 2012, 5:10 PM

    Really looking forward to this film when it comes out. Freeman was brilliant in Invictus but sadly he’s too old for all the earlier periods of Madibas life.

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    Mute pip white
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    Mar 20th 2012, 5:28 PM

    i never knew he was British. Though he was American!

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