Idris Elba pursues directorial dreams with a unique race-focused storytelling approach.
Idris Elba Is Swap Acting for Directing
Guess what? Hollywood star Idris Elba is making a big career move!
The 53-year-old actor just revealed at the Red Sea International Film Festival that he’s planning to step away from acting and focus entirely on directing.
He was there showing off his latest short film, “Dust To Dreams,” which is his first directing gig since his 2018 movie, “Yardie.”
Giving Up the Spotlight
Idris said, in his usual charming way, “I’m hoping that my fan base as an actor isn’t mad at me.”
Even though he has an amazing 130 acting roles under his belt, he feels ready for a change.
“Eventually, I want to transfer to be a director fully,” he explained.
While he still loves acting, he feels directing lets him “flex slightly different muscles” and see film sets from a brand-new angle.
A Bold New Movie on Race
He’s not wasting any time, either! Idris is already working on his next film for Apple, titled “This Is How It Goes,” which is based on a play by Neil LaBute. What’s cool is that he totally flipped the original script.
He explained, “The original is about a Black man married to a white woman, and a white man comes to move into their house.
I bought the rights to the film and transposed the story. So it’s a white man married to a Black woman, and a Black man comes to live in their house.”
They just finished shooting in Ghana, and the film promises to be a deep, thoughtful look at “marriage, trust, and race.”4
No Bond, But Luther Is Back!
If you were hoping to see Idris as the next James Bond, bad news—he shut those rumors down again at the festival.
However, good news for Luther fans: he’s returning to play the moody Detective John Luther in a new movie starting production this February!
This will be his first time back as the character since 2023’s “Luther: The Fallen Sun.”
It’s All a “Privilege”
Even with this big career shift, Idris has a great attitude about his job. Earlier this year, on Amy Poehler’s podcast, he said acting felt like a “privilege” rather than actual work.
“When I get an opportunity to come work with you, to come work on a set, it doesn’t feel like work,” he shared.
It sounds like his new passion for directing isn’t about escaping acting, but about taking on exciting new creative challenges!
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