Idris Elba’s ‘Yardie’ Gets US Release Date


In 2018, Idris Elba made his directorial debut with a crime drama film tiled Yardie. The movie was released in a handful of countries, including Portugal, Ireland, and the U.K., but wasn’t fully released in the United States, beyond its initial screening at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. It seems Elba was looking to change that as it was recently announced that Yardie has been given an official theatrical release date in the U.S., according to a report from Deadline.

The movie will hit theaters on March 15, 2019, as a result of Rialto Pictures acquiring the film’s distribution rights for a stateside release. The movie, which is based on a book written by Victor Headley of the same name, was produced by Elba and written by Brock Norman Brock and Martin Stellman. The film begins in Jamaica and follows the main character, D, played by Aml Ameen, as he navigates life after the murder of his big brother. D’s every decision is driven by a desire to get revenge and he eventually finds himself entangled in a bit of drama, which leads to him being sent to London by a local gang leader turned mentor.

In London, D reunites with his childhood love and his daughter, but he’s still unable to escape his past and his need for revenge eventually brings him face-to-face with the man who killed his brother, or so he thinks.

“I’m very happy that this movie is going to get play in the States,” Elba said in an announcement. “It falls in line with a very specific Afro-Caribbean experience by the way of Kingston, Jamaica and East London but plays right into the heart of the universal human experience of loss and trauma.”

Elba went on to say that he’s certain the flick will be well-received in Brooklyn, New York.

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This isn’t the only big project for the handsome English actor. Elba has teamed up with Netflix to recreate The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a story that will follow a hunchback named Quasimodo as he tries to win the affections of Esmeralda, a local gypsy woman. Elba will be directing, producing, and starring in the film, according to a report from Variety. Elba will play the role of Quasimodo.

He’s expected to debut a comedy series for the streaming giant called Turn Up Charlie, which he also produced and starred in. He will also be seen in the fifth season of Luther on BBC America later this year.

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