The renowned actor and producer is taking the director’s seat for the first time, shooting in London and Jamaica over two months, and with cinematographer John Conroy and sound mixer Robert Flanagan on board.
‘Yardie’ sees Aml Ameen (Maze Runner) take the lead role as young Jamaican D in a cast which also includes Stephen Graham (Taboo), Naomi Ackie (Lady Macbeth), and Jamaican newcomers Shantol Jackson, Sheldon Shepherd and Everaldo Creary.
Elba (Guerilla, Sky) also executive produces the project, with Dan MacRae and Danny Perkins for Studiocanal, Mary Burke and Ben Roberts of the BFI, Joe Oppenheimer of BBC Films, Hugo Heppell of Screen Yorkshire; and Mark Herbert of Warp Films.
Conroy’s previous credits include ‘Penny Dreadful’ and BBC series ‘Luther’ which features Elba in the titular role. Flanagan’s many credits include ‘Sing Street’, ‘Once’ and the upcoming ‘Black ‘47’.
Synopsis
D arrives in London in the early 1980s and unexpectedly discovers the man who assassinated his revered brother in Jamaica a decade earlier. When his quest for justice explodes into a violent street war, he puts both himself and the lives of his loved ones in peril.
Idris Elba, Director:
“I am interested in making human stories with characters that are either, full of grace or flawed. In ‘Yardie,’ the audience will see a film that hopefully means something to the people. I’m honored to able to shoot it in my hometown of London and as a guest in Jamaica.”