The trailer for Idris Elba's directorial debut Yardie has just been released. Based on the book by Victor Headley, this movie will follow up Elba's work in the BBC series Lutheras well as his role as Heimdall in Avengers: Infinity War

Yardie, named after the "government yards" in which lower-class individuals resided, follows D. (played by Aml Ameen) as he grows up from a troubled boy in Jamaica to a young man swept up in London's drug-laden underworld. D.'s first-person narration explores his turbulent and unpredictable journey as he finds himself wrapped up in an increasingly dangerous mission for redemption. Also starring Stephen Graham (Snatch, Martin Scorsese's upcoming The Irishman) as a London gangster and record producer named Rico, Yardie's producers also brought to the screen other gritty London-based dramas like '71, This Is England, and the BBC series Peaky Blinders. Now, its brand new trailer showcases Elba's talent behind the camera in his feature-length directorial debut.

Published in 1993, Headley's best-selling novel Yardies documents the tough-as-nails upbringing of a young boy trapped in a crime-heavy neighborhood. The trailer reveals how D. is haunted by his tragic past, ultimately embracing the very lifestyle that accounted for his rough childhood. However, after a drug delivery sends him to London in the 1980s, D. is forced to revisit his past, not only reconnecting with his daughter whom he's never met but, but encountering the man who killed his brother 10 years earlier. Apart from directing, Elba is also co-starring in the movie in a supporting role.

Though Yardie will be Elba's directorial debut for a feature film, this won't be his first time in the director's chair. The Golden Globe-winning actor also directed the TV movie Rebellious Soul: The Musical, which VH1 described as a "hip-hopera," and two episodes for the Sky Arts series Playhouse Presents, "King for a Term" and "The Pavement Psychologist," which he also wrote. Yardie will be his first adaptation.

Elba has been on the up-and-up ever since his breakout performance in the crime series Luther. Having played equally standout villains (Star Trek BeyondThe Jungle Book, Beasts of No Nation) and heroes (Pacific Rim, The Dark Towerthe MCU), he's made his way comfortably into the mainstream. Now, judging by the trailer for Yardie alone, it's clear that the talent Elba brings in front of the camera is just as skillful as what he can pull off behind it. He'll return to the directing chair again for Netflix's adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, in which he will also star.

More: Idris Elba Starring In Netflix Comedy Series Turn Up Charlie

Source: StudioCanal