Idris Elba is one of the busiest men in Hollywood, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Hobbs & Shaw star is being sought after for an upcoming film from Max Landis. According to a new report by THR, Elba is in negotiations to play the lead role in Deeper, a thriller from the Bright scribe.
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The project at MGM has been tumultuous, to say the least — as of now, the studio is waiting to land Elba before they proceed any further with production, especially after the pre-production path for the film has been rocky.
Initially, Bradley Cooper (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman) were both attached in lead roles but dropped out to pursue other projects. At one point, White God director Kornel Mundruczo was also attached but followed Cooper and Gadot off the project.
Currently, Baltasar Kormakur (2 Guns) has been hired to direct from Landis’ script — a screenplay MGM paid upwards of seven figures for a few years ago. Landis will serve as a producer along with David Goyer, Kevin Turen, Russell Ackerman, and John Schoenfelder.
Though no synopsis is yet available for the movie, THR describes Deeper as a supernatural thriller that “centers on a disgraced astronaut, Elba, who is on a deep-sea dive exploring a newly discovered trench but soon finds himself confronted by a sinister and dangerous force. The report compares the tone to a mashup of Gravity and The Martian.
As for Elba, the actor is keeping busy with all kinds of projects across film and television. After appearing in Avengers: Infinity War last year, Elba moved on the portray the primary antagonist in the first Fast & Furious spinoff Hobbs & Shaw. He’s currently filming Cats, Universal’s adaptation of the fan-favorite Broadway hit.
Does Deeper sound like a movie that piques your interest? Who else do you think should star in the project alongside Idris Elba? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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