10 Actors Who Need Saving From Bad Movie Choices

After a starring role in HBO mega hit The Wire paved the way for Idris Elba to become one of Hollywood's top British imports, US filmmakers have repeatedly squandered his talents, and it's tragic.

His performance as Stringer Bell showed off all of the tricks in his repertoire, from dry wit to an imposing screen presence, but cinema has never been quite sure how to make the most out of them.

Elba's roles in blockbusters such as Thor, Prometheus and Pacific Rim have largely been bit parts which failed to catapult him to the heights, and when he has secured leading roles, it's usually in the wrong films.

The reviled Dark Tower adaptation is a good example. Elba shone in the role of the series' gunslinging hero Roland Deschain, but even he couldn't save the film from a wafer-thin script and its own lack of ambition.

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom got the best out of the Luther star, but the biopic was denied the success and plaudits it deserved purely because it was overshadowed by 12 Years a Slave's fanfare.

Elba's recent misfortune on the big screen is more down to creative failures in Hollywood's, an apparent inability to put his talents to optimum use. Perseverance is needed on his part, but surely that breakthrough role will come in time.