Idris Elba reveals he's shifting behind camera as new projects wrap

Idris Elba says he’s preparing for a future spent mainly behind the camera.

Speaking during a Q&A at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Saudi Arabia on December 10, the 53-year-old discussed his return to directing with the short film Dust To Dreams—his first directing project since the 2018 feature Yardie.

“Hoping that my fan base as an actor isn't mad at me,” he said, according to the Daily Mail. “Eventually I want to transfer to be a director fully."

With more than 130 acting credits, Elba acknowledged he’s been in front of the camera for decades. “I love it still, but I think directing allows me to flex slightly different muscles and just be a part of the set in a different way. I really enjoy it,” he said.

Elba also offered an early look at his next feature, This Is How It Goes, based on Neil LaBute’s 2005 play. “The original is about a Black man married to a white woman, and a white man comes to move into their house, and it’s about what happens to their relationship,” he explained, via Deadline.

“I bought the rights to the film and transposed the story. So it’s a white man married to a Black woman, and a Black man comes to live in their house. It’s an incredible examination of marriage, trust, and race.”

He shot the film in Ghana and confirmed production “just finished last week.”

Addressing long-running rumours, Elba reiterated that there’s no truth to claims he’s being lined up as the next James Bond. But he will reprise his role as Detective John Luther, with a new film slated to start shooting in February.

Despite planning a move toward directing, Elba recently said on Amy Poehler’s Good Hang podcast that acting remains a joy. “This ain’t work,” he said. “So when I get an opportunity to come work with you … it doesn’t feel like work.”