Idris Elba To Lead Apple TV+ Thriller Series ‘Hijack’ From ‘Lupin’ Writer George Kay

Deadline I April 21 2022

Luther star Idris Elba will turn hostage negotiator in a tense thriller drama series for Apple TV+.

The seven-part Hijack is the first fruit of Elba and his Green Door Pictures’ first-look deal with Apple TV+ struck in July 2020.

The multihyphenate will star as Sam Nelson, an accomplished business negotiator forced to use his guile to save the lives of passengers onboard a hijacked plane making its way to London.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Hobbs & Shaw actor Elba will executive produce the series, which 60Forty Films and Idiotlamp Productions are making in association with Green Door.

Lupin and Criminal creator George Kay is writing Hijack, with Jim Field Smith directing. The pair, who own Criminal producer Idiotlamp, also are executive producers, along with Kris Thykier and 60Forty co-founders Hakan Kousetta and Jamie Laurenson.

Thykier’s Archery Pictures, the London-based producer behind Sky drama Riviera and Colin Firth feature Operation Mincemeat, created a joint venture with Green Door in January 2021 for multiple TV and film projects.

Elba’s Green Door has several recent TV credits, such as BBC2’s Idris Elba: Fight School, which launched in the UK last week. It also is behind Elba-fronted Netflix comedy Turn Up Charlie; and The Long Run, which was for Sky.

On the movie front, Elba is onscreen in the box office success Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and is preparing a feature-length Luther for the BBC and Netflix.

For Apple TV+, Hijack will join a slate of thrillers such as Ben Stiller’s recently renewed Severance, metaphysical drama Shining Girls and Alfonso Cuarón’s Disclaimer.

Elba is repped by The Artists Partnership, WME, M88 and JSSK.