Idris Elba has officially lined up his next creative chapter with Apple TV+. The Golden Globe-winning actor, filmmaker, and producer will both star in and direct a feature film adaptation of Neil LaBute’s provocative play This is How it Goes. Nathaniel Price (Mr. Loverman, The Outlaws) is set to adapt the screenplay.
The tense psychological drama follows a married couple who seemingly reconnect by chance with an old school acquaintance and invite him into their home. What begins as an act of generosity unravels into a layered exploration of identity, manipulation, and fractured truths. LaBute first premiered the play in 2005, earning attention for its unsettling take on human behavior.
Elba is no stranger to the material—he starred in the 2005 West End production alongside Ben Chaplin and Megan Dodds, playing Cody, a central figure in the story. For the screen adaptation, however, he’ll step into a different, undisclosed role, allowing a new interpretation of the work.
The project also solidifies a new partnership between Elba’s recently launched production banner, 22Summers—co-founded with Diene Petterle and Gina Carter—and Gaumont, who will co-produce the film for Apple Original Films. Gina Carter and Alison Jackson will produce, with Elba and Gaumont’s Sidonie Dumas serving as executive producers.
For Elba, the film continues his trajectory as both performer and filmmaker. His directorial debut, Yardie, premiered in 2018, and he has two more features—Above the Below and Infernus—on the way.
This also extends Elba’s growing relationship with Apple, where he executive produced and headlined the hit series Hijack. The high-stakes thriller has been renewed for a second season. Up next, Elba will also star in House of Dynamite, Masters of the Universe, and Hammer Down.
Read on Variety.