Beasts Of No Nation star Idris Elba and London-born filmmaker Thomas Ikimi are officially teaming up on a new television series of particular interest to this site. Earlier today, it was revealed that Fox has purchased the script for The Crusaders, an hourlong drama that "centers around an extended family of second-generation Africans living in the U.S. who specialize in locating and returning valuable objects stolen from Africa during colonial occupation."
Ikimi, who previously directed Elba in the 2010 psychological-thriller Legacy, is on board to write and executive produce the series. Elba– who is not currently attached to star– will also serve as an executive producer on the project through his Green Door Pictures, along with Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Dan McDermott through Di Bonaventura Television.
Both Elba and Ikimi are themselves UK-born second-generation West Africans– Elba has a Sierra Leonean father and a Ghanaian mother, while Ikimi has a Nigerian background. According to several bios on the web, the London-born director attended primary school in Nigeria.
The Crusaders marks Elba's second project in development with Fox. In November, the network acquired the rights to an American remake of the BBC crime drama Luther, with the series' British star on board to executive produce. That project was put on hold in March– or at least until they find a leading man adequate enough to fill Elba's shoes as the U.S. Luther.
Ikimi's short film, Nostradamus, premiered in April at the Tribeca Film Festival, where it was nominated as best narrative short.
Watch the trailer for the Ikimi-directed, Elba-starring Legend feature, and stream Ikimi's 25-minute Nostradamus in full below.