Following his feature directorial debutYardiein 2018,Idris Elbawill soon premiere his latest turn behind the camera,Above the Below. Announcedlate last year, the Lionsgatesurvival thrillerpairs up the Emmy nominee with co-directorMartin Owento 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 withCaitlin FitzGeraldandHero Fiennes Tiffinco-starring opposite Elba and the trio ofElizabeth Morris,Matt Mitchell, andVicki Sargenton board as screenwriters. Ahead of Elba’s voice role in theSonic the Hedgehogspin-off seriesKnuckleslater this month, Collider’sSteve Weintraubspoke with him about what to expect from the film and how it slots into his increasingly crowded slate.
WithAbove 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 astheir 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 likeHijackandBeast, it sounds right up the star’s alley, and it doesn’t hurt to have the experiencedMasters of SexandThe Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfarealums 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 makingAbove the Belowa 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 onAbove the Belowbegan 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 onthe starryHeads of Stateas well asa second season ofHijackand, of course, hasSonic the Hedgehog 3and theKnucklesspin-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, including, possibly, a sequel toLuther: Fallen Sun."[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 onHeads of Stateafter I finish editing my movie,Above the Below, and then I’m off to do some moreHijack.”
There’s no release date yet forAbove the Below. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on Elba’s latest as it prepares to come to theaters.Knucklespremieres on Paramount+ on April 26.
Knuckles the Echidna teaches deputy Wade Whipple the techniques of the Echidna warrior.
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