Idris Elba To Star In Beast Of No Nation By Uzodinma Iweala

Uzodinma Iweala is the son of Minister of Finance
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. His first novel, Beast Of No
Nation, is being made into a film staring Hollywood
actor Idris Elba. See press release below...
Red Crown Productions has set Idris Elba to star
and Cary Fukunaga to direct Beasts of No Nation,
an adaptation of Uzodinma Iweala's bestselling
novel.
The story follows the journey of a young boy, Agu,
who, when civil war engulfs his West African
country is forced to join a unit of mercenary
fighters. Not only must Agu face the death of his
father and disappearance of his mother and
sister, but must also join a life of violence and
brutality. Agu befriends a mute boy named Strika
and together they face the crimes and hardships
of war. Elba will play the lead role of Commander
and he will serve in a producing capacity as well.
Elba joins Red Crown Productions' Daniela Taplin
Lundberg and Riva Marker, Parliament Of Owls' Cary
Fukunaga and Primary Productions principal Amy
Kaufman as producers on the film. Daniel Crown and
Bill Benenson will serve as executive producers. Red
Crown is funding the film.
Beasts Of No Nation was packaged by WME Global,
which arranged the financing and will make the
domestic deal. IM Global's specialty label Acclaim will
make international sales at the Toronto Film Festival.
Fukunaga has helmed Jane Eyre and Sin Nombre and
is currently helming the HBO series True Detective.
Elba is really hitting stride. He reprises his title role
in a new season of Neil Cross's celebrated detective
series Luther, which premieres on BBC America in
September, and he plays Nelson Mandela in Mandela:
Long Walk To Freedom, which The Weinstein
Company releases in November. He's coming off the
Guillermo del Toro-directed Pacific Rim, which is
approaching the $400 million mark in worldwide
gross.
"We fell in love with Iweala's powerful narrative and
Idris and Cary are a tremendous pairing," said Red
Crown Productions partner Lundberg. Said Fukunaga:
"This project has been seven years in the making, so
to say I'm excited to start shooting this — and with
Idris Elba as lead — would be me trying to play it
cool. Red Crown has real moxie standing behind this
story."
Both Elba and Fukunaga are repped by WME and
managed by Anonymous Content. Elba is also with
Headshell Management and Roger Charteris at UK-
based Ken McReddie. Fred Toczek is his attorney
while Fukunaga's attorney is Michael Adler.
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN