Idris Elba talks Alex Cross

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'I battle with it every day'

Idris Elba sat down with Total Film on Friday night, and talked for the first time about his forthcoming role as Alex Cross in the reboot of the James Patterson detective series.

'I battle with that every fucking day, I swear', the actor told us, when asked how he was going to differentiate the role from his current guise as DCI John Luther in BBC drama "Luther".

'I'll go on record and say that, cos it is one of the biggest challenges of my professional life - how do I differentiate what we know about Luther and what is famous about Alex Cross.'

'They're both detectives, they're both cerebral, they're both smart.'

'But I can say this, Alex Cross is a reboot, so what Morgan Freeman did with (the character), I'm not going to do.'

The London-born actor, 38, has been making big waves in Hollywood over the last few years, since his role as Stringer Bell in The Wire won him industry accolades and fans around the world.

He was speaking to Total Film after a Raindance festival screening of Legacy , an independent film in which he both stars - appearing in virtually every frame - and produces.

Since the announcement was made that Elba would be taking over from Morgan Freeman, fan reaction has been largely positive, with many seeing the younger, more physical actor as a better fit for the maverick detective.

Elba however remains candid about his approach to the reboot, and the pressure of becoming the face of one of the most popular series of books in the world.

'I'm going to be honest with you, I've not even spoken about this with the press, because honestly I'm not sure what to say. I don't know.'

'I know they're putting a fantastic team together, the script is phenomenal, and I'm gonna invite some really great actors to be a part of it.'

However Elba decides to approach the role, we're sure he'll nail it. Cross is firmly on our must-see list. We can't wait.

Cross is scheduled to start filming in the spring, and will open in 2012.

The Raindance film festival is running until 10 October. For more info visit www.raindance.co.uk