The survival thriller Above And Below is already shooting, and marks Idris Elba’s second outing as a director following 2018’s Yardie.
Idris Elba is clearly a man of many talents: acting, DJing, somehow always being incredibly stylish even if he was to wear a binbag. He’s also got one film under his belt as a director, 2018’s Yardie, a crime drama that five years on, remains a confident and well-told film that clearly showcases Elba’s potential as a filmmaker, should it be a route he chooses to develop.
That looks like it could be happening soon, given that he’s reportedly (according to Movieweb) signed on to co-direct Above And Below, a survival thriller that sees a trio of astronauts’ re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere go badly wrong. The film is said to be already shooting at Pinewood, although we don’t yet have any news regarding the film’s release schedule.
Here’s the synopsis: “Above the Below sees a tight-knit trio of astronauts survive a chaotic and destructive re-entry to Earth, only to find themselves off course and completely cut off from the world. As their capsule begins to sink into the unknown depths of the ocean, their battle for survival kicks off.”
(This isn’t the first time Elba’s played a luckless astronaut, either – at least if you count Ridley Scott’s 2012 Alien prequel, Prometheus, in which the actor played the title ship’s captain Janek. Brilliantly, he was seen decorating a fake Christmas tree at one stage. It’s wonderful to think that Prometheus is a stealth festive film.)
Onscreen, Elba will lead the cast whilst behind the camera he will share directing duties with Martin Owen, director of The Loneliest Boy In The World. The film’s supporting cast is rounded out by Caitlin FitzGerald and Hero Fiennes Tiffin. We’ll bring you more on this one as we hear it.
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