Idris Elba is teaming up with Apple TV Plus for the first time with a new TV series, Hijack. With echoes of the classic show 24, this new seven-part thriller series will be told in real time and depict the journey of a hijacked plane, focusing on both those onboard and the authorities on the ground trying to get answers.
Elba will star in Hijack as Sam Nelson, an accomplished negotiator in the business world who is called upon to step up and use all his guile to try and save the passengers. But will his high-risk strategy be his undoing?
George Kay (Lupin, Criminal) wrote the series, while Jim Field Smith (Criminal, The Wrong Mans) is set to direct. Elba, in addition to starring, is an executive producer on the show. In fact, Hijack is the first project in a first-look deal that Elba’s production company Green Door Pictures has with Apple TV Plus, so there’s a good chance there will be more Idris Elba-based projects on the streaming service in the future.
There’s no other information on who is in the Hijack cast or when the series may premiere on Apple TV Plus.
Idris Elba can currently be seen in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 as the classic video game character Knuckles, but he is likely best known for his role as DCI John Luther in the BBC drama Luther. Elba has also starred in Marvel’s Thor movies (though is not credited at this time as appearing in Thor: Love and Thunder), has had critically acclaimed performances in movies like Beasts of No Nation and has Beast, Three Thousand Years of Longing and a Luther movie expected to come out in 2022. He’s also always brought up as the next James Bond.
Apple TV Plus has released a number of highly critically acclaimed series as of late. In recent months the streaming service has debuted Severance (98% on Rotten Tomatoes), Slow Horses (94% on Rotten Tomatoes) and The After Party (90% on Rotten Tomatoes). This is in addition to its well established hits like Ted Lasso and The Morning Show. Will Hijack join them as another highly-praised Apple TV Plus offering?
To find out you’ll have to be a subscriber to Apple TV Plus. Though a seven-day free trial, as well as options for an extended free trial, are available to test out the service.
