When Idris Elba isn’t breaking hearts, he’s directing movies. Following the premiere of his directorial debut Yardie at the 2018 Berlin Film Festival Friday (Feb. 16), Elba tweeted the teaser Thursday (Feb. 22).
Based off the novel of the same moniker, Yardie focuses on a young Jamaican who watches the murder of his brother, and later has to choose between his life of crime or to leave it all behind. Elba told The Hollywood Reporter when he read the book, it moved his soul. It was then he made the decision to take on the director role in making the novel come to life.
“I read it [the novel], which was huge because I don’t like to read books. Yardie was the one that I read and it stuck to my ribs and I read the script and I was there,” he said. “I felt like I could really contribute something meaningful.” Directing the film changed the game for Elba, telling IndieWire he’s going to “operate” on his films going forward. “There’s something about controlling the frame as opposed to watching a monitor. I found it way more satisfying to be able to control the camera,” he said.
Check out the trailer below.