Internet crushes come and go, but Idris Elba is eternal. His intense, furrowed-brow smolder is as heart-melting as his megawatt smile. His bicep circumference suggests he could uproot a small tree without breaking a sweat. Don’t even get me started on that gruff British accent. Plus, he happens to be an excellent actor—equally skilled at comedy and drama, as comfortable voicing an anthropomorphic hedgehog in a children’s cartoon as he is toting a gun in an action movie. If one Hollywood hunk has the power to unite our fractured nation, it’s Idris.
Wait. I forgot where I’m supposed to be going with all of this.
Oh, right. On Thursday, it was announced that Elba will be starring in and executive producing a new series for AppleTV+. Titled Hijack, the seven-episode thriller is part of the actor’s first-look deal with the streaming platform.
In Hijack, Elba plays a businessman named Sam Nelson with a particular penchant for persuasion. He puts his negotiating skills to use when he’s a passenger on a plane that gets hijacked. According to the logline, “[Sam] needs to step up and use all his guile to try and save the lives of the passengers—but his high-risk strategy could be his undoing.” While I cannot speak to the specifics of his character, I know that I, for one, would certainly feel safe with Elba as my hostage negotiator. (Please see the first paragraph of this article.)
George Kay, whose previous credits include Lupin, Criminal, and Killing Eve, wrote the series, while Jim Field Smith (Criminal) is directing.
Elba most recently lent his voice to the villainous video game character Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. He can be seen later this year alongside Tilda Swinton in the fantasy film Three Thousand Years of Longing and Netflix’s feature adaptation of Luther. Prepare for lots of swooning.
