Lionsgate has released the official trailer and poster for Above the Below, the sci-fi survival thriller co-directed by Idris Elba and Martin Owen, confirming a December 4 theatrical release. Elba stars as Jackson, a veteran mission commander, alongside Caitlin FitzGerald as Brooks and Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Rhodes.
The film follows three astronauts whose spacecraft is forced violently off course during re-entry, plunging them from orbit into the crushing depths of the ocean rather than back onto solid ground. With power failing, oxygen running out, and communication severed, the crew is forced into an increasingly desperate psychological standoff: deciding who attempts to reach the surface and who may have to be left behind in the sinking capsule. The screenplay comes from Elizabeth Morris, Matthew Mitchell, and Vicki Sargent, based on a story by Owen, who also originated the concept. The film runs a tight 85 minutes and is rated R.
This marks Elba’s second feature as a director, following his 2018 debut Yardie, a crime drama adapted from Victor Headley’s novel. The project arrives at a moment when Elba is already one of the industry’s most consistently in-demand actors, following two of streaming’s biggest 2025 releases, A House of Dynamite and Heads of State, and 2026’s Masters of the Universe, which became one of Prime Video’s most-watched titles despite a weaker theatrical showing. That pattern, strong streaming performance even when box office numbers lag, continues to shape how studios weigh theatrical risk against guaranteed digital viewership, and Elba stepping back into a co-directing role nearly a decade after his debut reflects how established actors often leave long gaps between directing projects while their acting work stays in constant motion.
FitzGerald, known for Masters of Sex and Succession, and Fiennes Tiffin, known for the After franchise and Guy Ritchie’s Young Sherlock, round out the central cast. Gina Carter and Matt Williams produce, with Pascal Degove executive producing, through Future Artists Entertainment.
Above the Below opens in a crowded early December corridor, releasing opposite Violent Night 2 and Behemoth! With a contained, high-concept premise built more around claustrophobia and dwindling oxygen than physical confrontation, the real test will be whether that tighter, more intimate scale gives it room to stand out against bigger holiday releases, or gets lost in the crowd entirely.