Idris Elba and Simon Kinberg Spy Romance Film Lands at Apple
Idris Elba and Simon Kinberg have teamed up for a yet-to-be-titled spy film, which after an intense bidding war, has landed at Apple.
Elba will star and produce the film, which is described as a “spy movie with romance” set in Africa. Kingberg and Audrey Chon, president of Kinberg’s Genre Films will produce. The film’s script comes from Travon Free, best known for “Black Monday” and “The Daily Show”.
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The new project marks another return to the spy genre for Kinberg, who wrote “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” and has the upcoming spy thriller “355” starring Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger and Fan Bin Bing set for release by Universal in Jan 2021. He’s also producing “Death on the Nile,” the mystery thriller from Kenneth Branagh.
In July, Variety reported that Elba and his Green Door Pictures production company signed a first-look deal with the streamer. Under the deal, Elba and Green Door would produce both series and features for Apple’s streaming platform, Apple TV Plus. Kinberg has his own first-look deal with the streamer, with an untitled tentpole sci-fi series in the works.
Kinberg and Chon sold “Here Comes the Flood” to Netflix in May after a similar bidding war. Jason Bateman is in negotiations to direct that film, which comes from a script by Kinberg.
Next up for Elba is “Concrete Cowboy,” in which the SAG and Golden Globe award-winning actor stars and also produced. Directed by Ricky Staub, “Concrete Cowboy” is set to premiere next month at the Toronto International Film Festival. Elba also stars in “The Suicide Squad,” out in summer 2021, and is set to begin production on Netflix’s “The Harder They Fall” imminently.
Elba is represented by WME, The Artists Partnership and Ziffren Brittenham LLP.
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