Only last week, Idris Elba caused a complete meltdown in the middle of London when he posted an open casting call for extra’s via social media for his feature film directorial debut, Yardie. So much so that the police had to step in and shut it down. After that little hiccup, shooting has now commenced on the film and a first look image has been released.
Adapted from Victor Headley’s cult novel of the same name, YARDIE follows the story of a young Jamaican named ‘D’ (Aml Ameen) who, on arriving in early 1980s London, unexpectedly finds the young man who assassinated his revered brother back in Jamaica ten years before. His quest for justice explodes into a violent street war that could end up killing him and his loved ones.
Idris Elba commented: “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 able to shoot it in my hometown of London and as a guest in Jamaica.”
Shooting in London and Jamaica over the course of seven weeks, Yardie will star Aml Ameen (The Maze Runner, The Butler) in the lead role as D, Stephen Graham (the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, This Is England, ‘Little Boy Blue’) will play the role of Rico, while Idris Elba will star as Piper. The film will introduce new Jamaican talent including Shantol Jackson as Yvonne, Sheldon Shepherd as King Fox and Everaldo Creary as Jerry Dread.
Universal Music are partners in the film and their Island Records label will be releasing the soundtrack. Executive producers are Dan MacRae and Danny Perkins for STUDIOCANAL, Mary Burke and Ben Roberts for BFI, Joe Oppenheimer for BBC Films, Hugo Heppell for Screen Yorkshire, Mark Herbert for Warp Films, and Idris Elba.
