

A very long time ago, the Jellicles gathered together for the Jellicle Ball: A macabre celebration of their fleeting lives. One would be chosen as the ascendant Jellicle transported to the Heaviside Layer to be reborn. This particular Jellicle Ball was besieged by the scheming Macavity, who waged war with Old Deuteronomy. It was also the inspiration for Andrew Lloyd Weber’s CATS, a musical you’ve probably never seen except in television shows hinged on outdated pop culture references. Unfortunately, our general lack of knowledge on the depth of the Jellicle-verse extends to the famouses chosen by fate to recreate its wonderment with CGI, cat school training, and “digital fur technology.” Speaking to Stephen Colbert on Monday night’s The Late Show, Idris Elba was asked about the deep history of the Jellicles. The actor’s face when asked the question explains at least half the plot: