From being a ‘Loser’ and a ‘Taker’ to being the gatekeeper of Asgaard and canceling the apocalypse in a Jaeger, actor Idris Elba has served his own good fair share of excitement for filmgoers in several action roles throughout his career in recent years. Point in fact, some fans have even gone so far in the past few years as to generate talk among fans of him hopefully inheriting the role of James Bond in the 007 franchise – rumors he no less dispelled earlier this year.
But that doesn’t mean the action will disappear. Nope, not by a long shot. The Marché du Film in Cannes is in full effect this month, and Elba has made quite a few headlines along the way, starting with the current production of Sin nombre helmer, Cary Fukanaga’s new war drama, Beasts Of No Nation. Fukanaga’s script is based on the inspired work of author Uzodinma Iwela, whose 2005 novel publication (attributed to late Nigerian recording artist, Fela Kuti’s 1989 album of the same name) centers on the story of a young boy forced into servitude as a child soldier in an unnamed West African country. Red Crown Productions is currently putting the film together on-location in Ghana with WME holding North American rights for the film’s expected arrival by next year.
Also on deck is recent announcement of North American pick up for director James Watkins’ latest international suspense thriller, Bastille Day by Focus Features. Actress Adèle Exarchopoulos joins Elba in a script by Andrew Baldwin about a rogue CIA agent who is reluctantly forced to partner with an American con-artist to foil a terrorist plot in France. Vendome Pictures and Anonymous Content are producing the film which is expected to shoot this summer with financing by international sales agent Studiocanal.
In addition, there’s much more ahead for Elba fans and action cinephiles alike, especially for those who have grown fond of Banlieue 13, Taken and From Paris With Love helmer Pierre Morel whose new film, The Gunman, also earned a spot in Cannes this week. Based on the 2002 novel by Jean-Patrick Manchette, Elba joins actors Ray Winstone, Javier Bardem and leading man Sean Penn who plays a special forces soldier suffering from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), whose pursuit of a new life with his childhood sweetheart is stopped short when the organization he works for pulls him back in the field forcing him to trek across Europe in order to clear his name. Open Road Films picked up the North American rights to the film last week prior to unveiling its sales poster, which you can check out below.
Elba is also poised to star with actress Taraji P. Henson in the forthcoming September thriller, No Good Deed, his latest reunion with director Sam Miller since the 2010 UK television crime drama, Luther. As to whether or not he will return to guard the Bifrost once more as Heimdall for the Ragnarok storyline in Thor 3 for Marvel, that remains to be seen as things are still very early.
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Native New Yorker. Lover of all things pizza, chocolate, pets, and good friends. Karaoke hero. Left of center. Survivor. Fond supporter of cult, obscure and independent cinema - especially fond of Asian movies and global action cinema. Author of the bi-weekly Hit List. Founder and editor of Film Combat Syndicate. Still, very much, only human.
