The stars are stepping out the Men’s Singles Finals!
26.06.2023 - 17:59 / deadline.com
“First-look deals are a lot of kicking tires,” Idris Elba said today, as he revealed his high-profile partnership with Apple TV+ has run down following the launch of psychological thriller Hijack.
The deal with Elba and his Green Door Pictures outfit was struck in July 2020 and the only show to emerge from it was Hijack, which is co-written by Lupin’s George Kay and Jim Field Smith.
Launching on the streamer Wednesday, Elba stars alongside the likes of Archie Panjabi, The Crown’s Ben Miles and Max Beesley as Sam Nelson, an accomplished business negotiator forced to use his guile to save the lives of passengers onboard a hijacked plane making its way to London. Elba is also EPing the series, which comes from 60FortyFilms and Idiotlamp Productions in association with Green Door.
Speaking at a London press conference, Elba said “the cycle of the [first-look] deal has now gone through” but he could continue working with the streamer.
“First-look deals are a lot of kicking tires,” he added. “You are trying to figure out what you can do together. Quite honestly, working with George and the others took a good two-and-a-half years really and you can’t top that, not at this junction. Who knows what comes next but I’m very proud of the fruits of this deal.”
Apple also has deals in place with the likes of Malala Yousafzai but these deals have become less common in the past couple of years as the U.S. studio and streaming model faces various struggles.
Hijack takes place mostly on a plane, in real time across seven episodes, and Elba’s character spends the entire duration on the flight. The Hobbs and Shaw and Luther star opened up about shooting fight sequences in a such a crowded setting, in which 120 days worth of filming
The stars are stepping out the Men’s Singles Finals!
Idris Elba is addressing those James Bond casting rumors and the public’s reaction to them.
Idris Elba has complicated feelings about all those James Bond casting rumours.
next contender to be James Bond — but Idris Elba didn’t feel very suave filming his new Apple TV+ series “Hijack.” “Some camera angles are not sexy, man – especially on a plane,” Elba, 50, told reporters at a Zoom press conference.“Let me tell you, [director] Jim Field Smith has got the camera right up my nozzle. And I’m like ‘Are you sure that’s the angle, bro?'”Elba stars in and executive-produced “Hijack,” a thriller co-created by Field Smith and George Kay (“Lupin”) that tracks a hijacked plane on its seven-hour flight en route from Dubai to London. One of the passengers, Sam Nelson (Elba), is an accomplished corporate negotiator in the business world, and tries to step up and use his smarts to save his fellow passengers. Archie Panjabi, no stranger to plane mystery shows, co-stars as Zahra Gahfoor, a counter-terrorism officer on the ground.Elba, who said that he’s 6-foot-3, was interested in exploring new territory for this role. “I’m sure it’s all subjective [and] I’m sure I’m not good looking to everyone, but … with my size and shape, all my life, it’s been like ‘Oh, you’re a big lad,'” he said. “And I’ve taken roles that feed into that.
They acted together in the US legal drama Suits. Bit actor Max Beesley refused to answer questions about his co-star Meghan Markle during an appearance on Good Morning Britain.
Idris Elba may jump into action in the new TV series “Hijack”, but in real life, that wouldn’t be the case.
James Bond.The British actor, 50, has been a fan-favorite choice to play the super spy in recent years.However, due to the racial recoil he’s received about the possible role, Elba’s speculative casting has left a bad taste in his mouth.The “Luther” actor recently sat down with Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes for an episode of their “SmartLess” podcast, where he said he was “super complimented” by the Bond rumors.But the prejudiced backlash got to him.“I was like, ‘This is crazy!’ Because James Bond… We’re all actors and we understand that role. It’s one of those coveted [roles],” Elba explained.
Idris Elba is stepping out for the world premiere of his new Apple TV+ series!
Idris Elba has been one of the recurring names that fans suggest when the topic of James Bond comes up. Following Daniel Craig’s final bow as the British secret agent in No Time To Die, Elba had been keen on potentially taking over the role.
Idris Elba has said he’s been put off from playing James Bond after responses to his potential casting “became about race”.The actor, known for starring in Luther and The Wire, has often been mentioned as a favourite to take over from Daniel Craig in the role of 007.Speaking on the SmartLess podcast (via The Telegraph) with hosts Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes, Elba explained that any interest in playing the character was soured due to some of the “disgusting” reactions to the rumours.“The truth is, I was super complimented for a long time about this,” Elba said. “James Bond… it’s one of those coveted [roles].“Being asked to be James Bond was like ‘OK, you’ve sort of reached the pinnacle’.
Zack Sharf Digital News Director Bond rumors have been following Idris Elba around for many years, but the actor admitted during a recent interview on the “SmartLess” podcast that he got turned off from the idea of playing 007 when the conversation became dominated by race. Back in 2015, for example, the author Anthony Horowitz notoriously wrote that Elba was “too street” to play James Bond. “The truth is, I was super complimented for a long time about this,” Elba said about originally embracing the idea about playing Bond. “I was like, ‘This is crazy!’ James Bond…We’re all actors and we understand that role. It’s one of those coveted [roles]. Being asked to be James Bond was like, ‘Ok, you’ve sort of reached the pinnacle’. That’s one of those things the whole world has a vote in.”
Idris Elba knows a thing or two about flying.
Daniel D'Addario Chief TV Critic It’s been more than 20 years since “24” first aired on Fox; its real-time conceit, with a relentless ticking clock moving characters toward collision, made it the kind of hit that’s difficult to duplicate. “Hijack,” a new drama on Apple TV+, doesn’t precisely aim for the sort of thrills and chills “24” generated, but it is indeed another real-time drama about a terrorist plot. Unfortunately, the central device doesn’t quite work, and “Hijack” ends up feeling like a flight to nowhere in particular. Here, Idris Elba plays Sam Nelson, a corporate type who finds himself at the center of international drama when his return flight from Dubai to London on the fictional Kingdom Air gets taken over by a group of armed criminals. They eventually gain control of the cockpit through blackmailing the pilot, proving their craftiness and the extent of their preparation; it falls to Sam to play quick-thinking action hero.
Lorraine Kelly made a blunder on Tuesday morning during an interview with Idris Elba - where she had to apologise to the actor.
EXCLUSIVE: Max Beesley (The Outsider, Hijack) has been cast to play Henry Collins in the Netflix series, The Gentlemen, created by Guy Ritchie and inspired by his 2019 Miramax film of the same name.
K.J. Yossman Idris Elba’s new Apple TV+ series “Hijack” sees him star as Sam Nelson, a top corporate negotiator who finds himself in the eye of a storm when the plane he is flying on is hijacked by a gang of ruthless criminals. Elba also exec produces the show, which launches on June 28, under his Green Door production banner. The project is a result of the actor’s first-look deal with Apple, which was announced in 2020. Sitting down with Variety in London ahead of the show’s launch, Elba said the deal has since expired but he’s already in talks to work with streamer again – including a potential return outing as Nelson. “I love Apple and we love each other and I think we’re gonna work together again, but we’re just not currently in a set up as official,” Elba says. “It’s nice having a production deal but there’s restrictions. And I feel like my career as an actor has been so random and different — why change now?”
Idris Elba, Olivia Colman, Woody Harrelson Lead King Charles III Environmental Short
K.J. Yossman Idris Elba, Olivia Colman, Woody Harrelson have banded together to help King Charles launch a new YouTube channel dedicated to the environment. RE:TV is the new platform for showcasing “sustainable solutions to the climate and biodiversity crisis,” according to the King. It is the digital extension of his non-profit, also called RE:TV, which he founded in 2020. The org has made over 100 short films about innovative environmental projects worldwide, which have previously been launched on platforms including Bloomberg and Waterbear. Now, with its own YouTube channel, RE:TV will be able to debut its content directly online.
Croydon for an overnight shoot for new Amazon film Heads of State. Filming is also understood to have taken place at Overton’s Yard next to the Surrey Street Market car park while extras gathered at Fairfield Halls. Businesses in St George’s Walk closed their doors at 7pm for the work to start and filming is believed to have gone on until the early hours of Wednesday morning (June 21).
Extraction looks to become a formidable action franchise for Netflix.Directed by Sam Hargrave, both films see mercenary Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) tackle a dangerous rescue mission with explosive consequences. They’re both written by Joe Russo and adapted from the graphic novel Ciudad by Ande Parks.In Extraction 2, released on Netflix in June, Hemsworth, Golshifteh Farahani and Adam Bessa reprise their roles from the original.