Idris Elba has lined up his next gig in the form ofDeeper, a sci-fi/thriller written by Max Landis. This movie has a history that dates back to 2016 and the project has had a tough time getting off the ground. Now, MGM, the studio behind the production, is trying to put together a new team in order to finally get some payoff from their already hefty investment. Getting Elba is a good place to start, but this project could face other issues in the modern Hollywood landscape.
According to a new report,Thorfranchise star and the latest Sexiest Man Alive,Idris Elbais officially in talks to star inDeeper. The movie is described as being similar in tone toGravityandThe Martian. It centers on a disgraced astronaut who is on a deep-sea dive exploring a newly discovered trench only to find himself confronted by a sinister and dangerous force. Elba would be playing the astronaut, assuming his deal gets done. This also sounds quite similar toThe Abyss, given the description.
This would be the latest high-profile gig for Idris Elba, who is one of the top leading talents in the business right now. He’s alsostarring in the movie adaptation of Catsand is set to headline George Miller’s long-awaited follow-up toMad Max: Fury Road,Three Thousand Years of Longing. He’s also playing the villain in the upcoming Fast and Furious spin-offHobbs & Shaw, which just debuted its first, absolutely insane trailer online recently.
MGM initially purchased the script forDeeper, for seven figures, back in 2016. At the time, Max Landis was asserting himself as one of the top-earning screenwriters in the business, having penned the found footage hitChronicleand Netflix’sBright. At the time,Bradley Cooper and Gal Gadot were attached to star, with Kornel Mundruczo (White God) on deck to direct. But things started to fall apart as key players departed the project one by one.
That left MGM with a dilemma; replace those who left or chalk this one up to a loss. Given what they paid for the script, the latter option is certainly less appealing. However, Max Landis was accused ofsexual misconductby multiple women in late 2017. Since then, he’s stayed completely away from Twitter and has lost much of the momentum he had going. Putting this movie into production now, given the accusations made against Landis', could bring some controversy to the project.
But MGM seems intent on soldiering on and they’re able to attract A-list talent to star. Baltasar Kormakur, whose previous credits includeAdriftandEverest, is currently attached to direct. David Goyer, Kevin Turen, Russell Ackerman, John Schoenfelder are set to produce alongside Max Landis which, again, could prove to be troublesome in the #MeToo era.Deeperdoes not yet have a release date set. This news was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
