‘Luther’s’ Idris Elba as Nelson Mandela in ‘Long Walk to Freedom’

Just because we’ve seen the last of crime drama Luther (at least on the small screen) doesn’t mean we won’t still be seeing a lot more of its star. Idris Elba, who, along with Luther, is also fairly well known among US audiences for his role as drug dealer Stringer Bell in The Wire, will be taking on the role of inspirational civil rights leader Nelson Mandela in a biopic to be released at the end of November.

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is based on Mandela’s own bestselling 1994 biography of the same name. It chronicles his life from his childhood in a rural village, to his political awakening, to his subsequent 27-year imprisonment for his involvement in anti-apartheid protests and his inauguration as the first democratically elected president of South Africa.

To say that this is an inspiring story of an extraordinary man, is, well, possibly, a bit of an understatement.

Watch the trailer below and marvel at how great Elba’s performance looks in just two minutes worth of footage. 

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Long Walk to Freedom already has a lot of end-of-year awards buzz swirling around it, for both its subject matter and its star. Don’t be surprised if you see Elba show up on some “best of” awards lists this year – his performance looks incredibly compelling.

(True story: I saw this trailer for the first time in the theater last week and cried. Because I am a sap, yes, but also because it’s just such a powerful story.)

Does this look like a film that would interest you? Mark your calendars for its release date of November 29.