Idris Elba fans stay calm, the man himself is here in London and on location for a brand new film.
Production is under way for the film Yardie, as the star of Luther, The Wire and Thor makes his directing debut in his home town of London.
STUDIOCANAL announced today (Tuesday May 16) that principal photography has begun on the feature adaptation of Victor Headley’s cult novel Yardie.
It will be the first feature Elba has directed, with the shoot lasting seven weeks.
The Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild winner says he is "honoured" to shoot in his home town.
He said: “I am interested in making human stories with characters that are either full of grace or flawed.
"In Yardie the audience will see a film that hopefully means something to the people.
"I’m honoured to be able to shoot it in my home town of London and as a guest in Jamaica."
The Maze Runner and The Butler star, Aml Ameen takes the lead role as D, with Idris Elba himself starring as Piper.
The film is set in the early 1980s and follows the story of D, a young Jamaican who arrives in London to find the man who assassinated his brother back in his home country ten years before.
On his hunt for justice, a violent street war breaks out which threatens the life of his loved ones and himself.
The film has already attracted much attention, with the police having to shut down a casting call on May 8.
The actor, who also played the lead in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, recently hosted the event in his birth borough of Hackney, in search of extras to star in the feature film.
However, the auditions at Hackney community centre were shut down by police just hours after they began as thousands turned up in hope of securing an extra role in the film.
Filming for Yardie will take place in both London and Jamaica over the course of seven weeks.
Keep up to date with the latest news in west London via the free getwestlondon app.
You can set up your app to see all the latest news and events from your area, plus receive push notifications for breaking news.
Available to download from the App Store or Google Play for Android .
