Apple Lands Spy Romance Film Starring Idris Elba, Simon Kinberg

After an intense bidding war, Apple has landed a yet-to-be-titled spy romance film starring Idris Elba and Simon Kinberg, Variety is reporting. The film’s script comes from Travon Free, best known for “Black Monday” and “The Daily Show”.

Described as a “spy movie with romance” set in Africa, the film will be produced by Elba, Kingberg, and Audrey Chon. Kinberg and Chon sold “Here Comes the Flood” to Netflix in May after a similar bidding war. Jason Bateman is in negotiations to direct that film, which comes from a script by Kinberg.

The new project marks another return to the spy genre for Kinberg, who wrote “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” and has the upcoming spy thriller “355” starring Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger and Fan Bin Bing set for release by Universal in Jan 2021. He’s also producing “Death on the Nile,” the mystery thriller from Kenneth Branagh.

Elba and his Green Door Pictures production company signed a first-look deal with Apple TV+ last month for producing both series and features for Apple’s streaming platform. Meanwhile, Kinberg also has his own first-look deal with Apple TV+, with an untitled tentpole sci-fi series in the works.

Last week, Leonardo DiCaprio’s film and television production company Appian Way also inked a multi-year first-look deal with Apple.