The Big Picture
Idris Elba’s latest directorial project,
Above the Below
, follows three astronauts trying to survive after a disastrous re-entry to Earth.
The film features a star-studded cast with Elba leading alongside Caitlin FitzGerald and Hero Fiennes Tiffin.
Despite a busy schedule, Elba is excited about the project and looks forward to sharing it with the world soon.
Following his feature directorial debut Yardie in 2018, Idris Elba will soon premiere his latest turn behind the camera, Above the Below. Announced late last year, the Lionsgate survival thriller pairs up the Emmy nominee with co-director Martin Owen to tell the story of three unfortunate astronauts who survive a disastrous re-entry to Earth only to find themselves in a much more dire scenario. Adding to the intrigue is a star-studded cast and crew with Caitlin FitzGerald and Hero Fiennes Tiffin co-starring opposite Elba and the trio of Elizabeth Morris, Matt Mitchell, and Vicki Sargent on board as screenwriters. Ahead of Elba’s voice role in the Sonic the Hedgehog spin-off series Knuckles later this month, Collider’s Steve Weintraub spoke with him about what to expect from the film and how it slots into his increasingly crowded slate.
With Above the Below, Elba leads the astronauts as their commander, Jackson, while FitzGerald stands beside him as his stalwart co-pilot Brookes, and Tiffin rounds out the team as the idealistic rookie Rhodes. Together, they face dangerous odds as their capsule lands in an area cut off from the rest of the world and quickly begins sinking into the depths of the ocean. Tension rises as their chances of survival drop with every minute they spend trying to save themselves from a watery grave.
In the wake of recent Elba-led thrillers like Hijack and Beast, it sounds right up the star’s alley, and it doesn’t hurt to have the experienced Masters of Sex and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare alums by his side. Yet, despite sounding right in line with his recent works, he said directing it was a unique experience compared to his past work behind the camera. He also gave plenty of credit to his castmates and crew for making Above the Below a project he has plenty of faith in:
“Yeah, I’m in it. I’m co-directing it. It is a very different movie from anything I’ve done before in terms of my direction. I can tell you that it’s about three astronauts and their journey back to Earth in their space pod. It is an action-thriller survival movie. I’m gonna say, man, I’m quietly confident. I’ve just had the most incredible team film it with me, really great actors, and I’m really excited about showing it to the world soon.”
‘Above the Below’ Isn’t Far From Release
Filming on Above the Below began back in November with editing still needing to be done before it can reach the big screen. Elba’s latest falls in the middle of a busy stretch for the multi-talented actor, who is also at work on the starry Heads of State as well as a second season of Hijack and, of course, has Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and the Knuckles spin-off series coming soon. With so much on his plate, he was asked about his schedule, confirming that his survival thriller isn’t far off and that he’s in a fortunate position when it comes to laying out his projects. “[Laughs] I am in a rare boat, and that is something that I don’t look at lightly,” he added. “The truth is, I’m still working on Heads of State after I finish editing my movie, Above the Below, and then I’m off to do some more Hijack.”
There’s no release date yet for Above the Below. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on Elba’s latest as it prepares to come to theaters. Knuckles premieres on Paramount+ on April 26.
Knuckles
Knuckles the Echidna teaches deputy Wade Whipple the techniques of the Echidna warrior.
Release Date April 26, 2024
Cast Idris Elba , Adam Pally , Jaimi Barbakoff , Alice Wren Tregonning , Tony Coughlan , Colleen O’Shaughnessey , Daniel Singh , Alfredo Tavares
Seasons 1
Watch on Paramount+