Idris Elba To Take on New Path as A Director

Idris Elba announces he's stepping back from acting to focus on directing full-time, revealing his career shift at the Red Sea Film Festival.

Idris Elba at the Red Sea International Film Festival Credit: Atlanta Black Star/Getty Images

Idris Elba took fans worldwide by surprise when he announced that he would be taking a step back from acting during a December 10 Q&A session at the Red Sea International Film Festival, Saudi Arabia. This was during a screening of his short film, Dust to Dreams. 

The Daily Mail quotes the 53-year-old Brit as saying, “I love it [acting] still, but I think directing allows me to flex slightly different muscles and just be a part of the set in a different way”. He acknowledged that some fans would be disappointed but added that “eventually, I want to be a director fully”. 

Idris has been one of the biggest stars in the world for the better part of two decades. He broke through to the mainstream with the role of Stringer Bell from 2002 to 2004 in the HBO Classic series The Wire. He has gone on to play several iconic characters since, including the Golden Globe-winning Luther in the BBC show Luther (2010-2019), Heimdall in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, Nelson Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013), and the Commandant in Beasts of No Nation (2015). His directorial debut came in 2018’s Yardie, a crime drama set in ‘80s London and ‘70s Jamaica, adapted from the Victor Headley novel of the same name. 

His film Dust to Dreams stars Nollywood leading lady Nse Ikpe Etim, Eku Edewor, Atlanta Bridget Johnson, Constance Olatunde, and legendary singer Seal and was produced by Mo Abudu. It premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September. Film critic Jerry Chiemeke called it, “a premise brimming with potential…that never quite arrives at it”. 

Idris’ retirement would see him join the ranks of contemporaries like Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River, Gran Torino), Mel Gibson (The Passion of the Christ, Braveheart), Greta Gerwig (Little Women, Barbie, Lady Bird), and Jordan Peele (Get Out, Us, Nope).