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If you've seen The Wire, you know that Idris Elba is a ridiculously talented actor who has yet to become a massive success stateside.  But now that's just a matter of time as he already appeared last season on The Office (which didn't really utilize his talent but a lot of folks watch it, myself included), will appear next year in the comic book action flick The Losers and now he's landed a role in Kenneth Branagh's upcoming adaptation of Marvel's Thor.

Show some respect to Stringer Bell and hit the jump for details.

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According to Heat Vision Blog, Elba will play "Heimdall; as the guardian of Asgard, he stands on the BiFrost Bridge ready to defend the city from intruders."  Now that's pretty damn cool, not just because everyone else in Asgard is apparently too lazy to defend their own damn city, but because Norse mythology doesn't really have any black guys.  As you can see from the image to your right, Heimdall is a Caucasian gentleman, much like the people of Scandinavia who created Norse mythology.  But while they may not have cast Idris Elba in a movie based on their god of thunder, they would have done it in a heartbeat if they had seen an episode of The Wire.  And yes, I'm working under the assumption that ancient Scandinavians would know about film and television.

For those just tuning in, Thor is based off the popular Marvel comic created by Stan Lee.  The movie follows Thor (Chris Hemsworth) a Norse God banished to Earth for his arrogance and reckless behavior in the Asgard, the capital city of the Norse Gods.  On Earth, he falls in love with a nurse named Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), but must become a true hero when his sinister brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) brings the darkest forces of Asgard to wreak destruction on humanity.  Directed by Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet), the film co-stars Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård, Dominic Cooper, Jaimie Alexander, Colm Feore, Stuart Townsend, Ray Stevenson, and Tadanobu Asano.

Thor is slated to hit theaters on May 20, 2011.