'Mouse Guard' Movie Adds Idris Elba As An Obi-Wan Kenobi Type Of Mouse

English actor Idris Elba (Pacific Rim, The Wire) has lent his voice to several animal characters in films already: a cape buffalo in Zootopia, Shere Khan the tiger in The Jungle Book, and a sea lion in Finding Dory. He's playing a cat in Tom Hooper's upcoming adaptation of Cats later this year, and now it looks like he'll be playing a mouse in the film adaptation of the Boom! Studios comic Mouse Guard. He's a one-man menagerie!

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Elba is in final negotiations to join the Mouse Guard cast. The film is being directed by Wes Ball, who made a name for himself as the director of The Maze Runner franchise and established himself as one of the most exciting young up-and-coming filmmakers to watch. Based on David Petersen's Eisner-winning comic series, the movie is set in a medieval world and follows an order of mice warriors who serve as the sworn protectors of their realm. The diminutive creatures battle enemies like foxes, snakes, eagles, and even villains from within their own ranks.

THR says "Elba will play Celanawe, an Obi-Wan Kenobi-like figure who was once a legendary champion and now thought long gone." He wields a powerful weapon called The Black Axe, and a recent prequel comic called Mouse Guard: The Black Axe explains how he became the owner of this weapon; it's unclear exactly how much of that information will be presented in this film, which has the potential to kickstart a new franchise.

Andy Serkis (Star Wars: The Last Jedi) is playing Midnight, a rodent blacksmith who betrays his own kind. Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who played Bran Stark's young teacher/protector Jojen Reed on HBO's Game of Thrones, is playing a heroic young mouse named Lieam, one of the order's newest members. Matt Reeves (War For the Planet of the Apes, the upcoming The Batman) is producing the new movie, which will be shot using performance capture techniques. WETA is handling the visual effects, and production is slated to begin this May.

With Elba now able to cross "playing a cat" and "playing a mouse" off his actor bucket list, all he needs is to be cast as both of the title characters in a new Tom and Jerry movie so he can cross "playing both a cat and a mouse in the same movie" off his list.