With True Detective now under his belt, Cary Fukunaga is officially on everyone in Hollywood’s radar. His next project, a feature titled Beasts of No Nation, is currently shooting in Ghana with Idris Elba in the lead role. Today, the first image from the film has appeared online, giving us a look at its star as the no-nonsense commander of an African guerrilla fighter unit.
Beasts of No Nation tells the story of a young boy named Agu, who is forced to join a group of guerrilla fighters (led by Elba’s commander) when civil war breaks out in his country. Trying to deal with his father’s death and the disappearance of his mother and sister, Agu soon forms a close friendship with a mute boy and learns to deal with “the harrowing experiences of war.”
Based on Uzodinma Iweala’s novel of the same name, Beasts of No Nation will apparently tell an “inside story” of what it’s like to be a part of one of these mercenary groups. While it sounds like the film is very much Agu’s story, I’m sure that Elba will still factor into things quite heavily. You’re not going to bring an actor like Idris Elba into your movie and waste him. He’s a powerful screen presence and is hotter than ever right now, so I’m sure that he’ll have a sizeable role here.
Beasts of No Nation is still without a release date, but it definitely sounds like an explosive project that has a ton of potential. You can bet that we’ll be keeping an eye out for more news on this one, and will of course keep you posted when we hear more.
