Idris Elba is one of the top contenders to be the next James Bond. But apparently, Elba doesn’t wish to wait very long for a spy role, so he has teamed up with Simon Kinberg to work on a spy project – the title is yet to be worked out, but the platform that will house the film is going to be Apple. The company has won the rights for the film after close bidding battle with competitors.
Not much is unveiled about the movie, however, according to the reports, Idris Elba will star as well as direct the film set in the regions of Africa.
Besides Elba, Kinberg and Audrey Chon, the president of Kinberg’s Genre Films will also be producing the project. The in-charge of the screenplay is Travor Free famously known for The Daily Show and Black Monday.
Elba’s fellow for the film, Kinberg is no stranger to spy films – the producer has written the screenplay for 2005’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith and the upcoming spy thriller starring Jessica Chastain and Penelope Cruz - 355. Aside from this, Kinberg is also putting his money on Kenneth Branagh’s mystery thriller Death on the Nile.
In line with Kinberg, Elba’s schedule is as jam-packed – Variety reported Elba and his Green Door Pictures production have signed a new deal with streamer, according to which the actor and Green Door would create both features and series for Apple’s Apple TV Plus.
Additionally, Elba’s 2020 drama Concrete Cowboy is set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival next month. The feature is based on Greg Neri’s popular novel Ghetto Cowboy – and is directed by Ricky Staub. Elba is also planning to get the balls rolling on Netflix’s The Harder They Fall very soon. Besides that, the wait for Elba's The Suicide Squad will be over towards the summer of next year.
Clearly, a lot is up for Elba and Kinberg at this moment, but their partnership may be expected to give out an entertaining outcome. Probably, it is due to their busy schedule that even the title of the spy film is not yet decided, let alone release date and any other information in regard to casting, the background of the film, and production.
However, as Apple has bought the rights to stream, more promotions will come about and it is likely that we have more information imminently. However soon it may get, it wouldn't be practical to expect the untitled movie to be around within the next two years.