We got Liam Neeson punching wolves in The Grey. Then we had Blake Lively going toe-to-toe with a shark (with the help of an adorable seagull) in The Shallows. And now it’s the turn of Idris Elba to face an animal foe in a survival thriller – he’s signed up to Beast, a film that will see him face off against a hungry lion. Let’s be honest: if anyone stands a chance in that battle – taking into account both brains and brawn – it might be Elba.
The film is being directed by Baltasar Kormakur, whose previous films have also seen characters battling the might of nature, including 2018’s seafaring drama Adrift with Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin, and 2015’s ensemble disaster movie Everest. He’s working from a script by Rampage writer Ryan Engle, based on an original idea by Jaime Primak-Sullivan – though the logline here, according to Deadline, is quite literally pitched as ‘The Shallows, but with a lion’. And remember, Elba has form when it comes to big cats on screen after playing Macavity in, er, Cats. Which, on second thought, is maybe better not to remember.
Still, Elba has more exciting project on the away – including acclaimed drama Concrete Cowboy, which is currently doing the festival rounds, and James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad which is due to arrive in August 2021. Beast seems to still be in early stages – stay tuned for any casting news on the lion.