Idris Elba hosting Saturday Night Live March 9; Khalid to perform

SNL

How has Idris Elba not hosted Saturday Night Live before now? That’s a question we’ve certainly wondering to ourselves. It feels like he is the guy who has been at the top of SNL host wishlists for many years on end now but, for one reason or another it just hasn’t happened… until now!

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Well, today it was officially announced that the Luther star is getting the hosting gig for the upcoming March 9 installment of the sketch series and that Khalid is going to serve as the musical guest for the big occasion. This should be a fun show, mostly because we know Elba’s got some serious comedic sensibilities — anyone remember his time on The Office? — and he’s more than capable of taking on a lot of different characters. This appearance here seems to coincide with the launch of his new Netflix comedy Turn Up Charlie next month, where the actor is playing the part of a DJ.

This news comes following the announcement that you will see none other than John Mulaney host the upcoming March 2 episode of the series, which is going to feature an appearance from Thomas Rhett as the musical guest. While we think that Elba will be a fantastic host, there’s still no doubt that Mulaney is the safer comedic choice of the two. He is someone who has not only hosted before, but also served as a writer behind the scenes. One of the bizarre traditions of SNL is all of the famous writers behind the scenes who were never an actual cast member. Think along the lines of Mulaney, Conan O’Brien, and Bob Odenkirk (who also really needs to host SNL, given his status as a sketch-comedy icon). It shows the series’ ability to amass talent in just about every form.

For those who haven’t heard, viewers in America are going to get a chance to see the latest season of Luther later this summer on BBC America — it’s certainly much later than we ever imagined it being, especially since the latest batch of episodes already aired over in the UK.

Related News Read more about this past episode of Saturday Night Live, hosted by Don Cheadle

What do you think about the idea of Idris Elba hosting Saturday Night Live, and are there any specific sketches that you are hoping to see? Be sure to share some of your thoughts right now in the comments, and stay tuned for some other news. (Photo: NBC.)

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