While many people, Tom Hanks included, are pining for him to take up the mantle of James Bond, acclaimed actor Idris Elba has been keeping plenty busy otherwise with various projects, including one that will have him stepping out of the box into a notably more fragile role. Per an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly, Elba revealed details about starring in Apple TV+’s upcoming new thriller series Hijack, which will debut later this summer.
Hijack is set to be an exhilarating new thriller mini-series helmed by British director Jim Field Smith. His frequent collaborator George Kay is serving as scriptwriter. The two of them previously orchestrated various projects like drama mini-series Litvinenko and Stag. Kay also previously worked on Netflix’s international series Criminal and Lupin, as well as the first season of the acclaimed BBC series Killing Eve. Producers on the series include both Smith and Kay, along with Kris Thykier, Hakan Kousetta, Jamie Laurenson, and lead actor Idris Elba. Other starring cast in the series are Archie Panjabi (Snowpiercer), Christine Adams (Black Lightning), Max Beesley (Operation Fortune: Ruse du Guerre), Ben Miles (Andor) and several more.
How the Mid-Air Crisis of Hijack Will Play Out
The premise of the series revolves around a talented business negotiator named Sam Nelson (Idris Elba), who winds up turning into a hostage negotiator when his seven-hour flight from Dubai to London is hijacked, with the threat of a bomb somewhere within the plane. In a unique style not seen very often since the days of hit action drama show 24, the story will play out in real time, capturing each harrowing hour of the dangerous altercation. That choice of artistic direction amplifies the tension of each passing moment, and the sheer weight of the situation on an innocent-bystander-turned-hero like Sam. Elba gave his perspective on Sam Nelson, given that he’s not inherently a “hero” character with exceptional physical strength or the mental fortitude for such a catastrophe, and how that will all play out through each episode.
“It takes a fresh approach to a thriller and hostage situation…There’s an amplified nature of having a ticking time bomb in a plane and what that does to human nature. He’s not an action star or a cop…He has the gift of the gab.”
Given that Elba has quite a few action-packed roles already on his resume, it will be a very intriguing deviation to watch him play out a character who’s far more inexperienced.
The first two episodes of Hijack are set to premiere exclusively on Apple TV+ on June 28, with subsequent episodes to be released every Wednesday. Check out the promo images below.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
