Idris Elba to Star in and Direct In Laws, With Spain Filming Planned for March 2027

Idris Elba is set to star in and direct *In Laws*, an action comedy, according to a Deadline exclusive, which Sortiraparis says was revealed on November 6, 2026. Sortiraparis reports that the news came ahead of the American Film Market. It also says A Higher Standard will present the project to international buyers. theGrio published its account on November 7.

The film would be Elba’s fourth feature as a director, according to theGrio. Shooting is expected to begin in Spain in March 2027, and the rest of the cast has not yet been chosen.

A Sidelined Agent and a Rookie Partner

Elba plays Carson Hughes, a secret agent who has been sidelined, according to Sortiraparis. theGrio describes the character as blacklisted. Sortiraparis says the role gives Hughes a chance at redemption.

To stop a deadly plot, Hughes must team up with a younger, by-the-book recruit. theGrio calls the recruit a rookie agent. According to theGrio, the partners’ differences threaten the mission, and they discover they have a wedding they cannot miss. Sortiraparis says they also have to reach a wedding on time.

Expected Production Date
Deadline reported the project on Nov. 6, 2026, ahead of the American Film Market, and production in Spain is expected to begin in March 2027.

Who Is Behind the Project

Elba produces the film with Gina Carter through their production company, 22Summers, according to theGrio. Sortiraparis names Carter as his producing partner.

theGrio reports that 22Summers recently completed production on *Luther: The Day Will Come* for Netflix.

Jeffrey Greenstein of A Higher Standard and Mark Fasano of Nickel City Pictures also produce, theGrio reports. Greenstein co-wrote the screenplay with Eshom and Ian Nelms, based on an original script by Adrian Speckhert and Cory Hughes.

Sortiraparis names A Higher Standard as the company that will present the project to international buyers.

What Elba Has Said About the Project

theGrio quotes Elba, citing Deadline, saying that he and Carter are “really excited to make movies that make people laugh.”

Sortiraparis reports that Elba told Deadline the project revisits his love of buddy comedies. It says he and Carter want to make films that get audiences laughing.

A Link to Heads of State

Sortiraparis ties *In Laws* to *Heads of State*, the buddy comedy in which Elba co-starred with John Cena. Hello Magazine reports that Elba played UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke, opposite Cena’s U.S. president, Will Derringer. The film launched on Prime Video on 2 July 2025.

TheWrap’s review, by Matt Goldberg, describes Derringer as a former action star who became U.S. president without holding public office. Clarke is a weary former soldier who sees Derringer as ill-suited for the office, while Derringer feels underestimated.

In that review, arms dealer Viktor Gradov, played by Paddy Considine, targets Air Force One, and the two leaders are presumed dead. They must decide whom to trust as NATO nears collapse after leaked documents reveal betrayals among its members.

The review calls the film broad, bombastic and goofy, rated PG-13, and credits director Ilya Naishuller with inventive action. It also notes that the film skipped a theatrical release and streams on Prime Video.

Hello’s account lists Paddy Considine, Stephen Root, Carla Gugino, Jack Quaid and Sarah Niles in the cast. Naishuller directed, and Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec and Harrison Query wrote the film.

Hello reports that the film reached the number one spot as the most-streamed movie on Prime Video. It cites a 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and four-star reviews from The Guardian and Empire. Hello also reports that fans on social media praised the film’s fun, feel-good tone and the chemistry of its three leads.

The project’s origins go back further. A Joblo article, citing a Deadline report, says Amazon Studios had acquired the rights to a project then titled *Head of State*. Joblo names Peter Safran and John Rickard of The Safran Company as producers and Harrison Query as the writer. It says The Suicide Squad producer Peter Safran witnessed the duo’s obvious chemistry.

Time Out reports that the film was shot in France, England, Serbia and Italy. The opening festival sequence was filmed in Sospel, in southern France, and Time Out says the production was unable to film in Spain. A replica of Air Force One was built at Longcross Studios in Surrey, and stunt drivers drove through the narrow streets of Trieste for the car chase.

Shooting in Spain is expected to begin in March 2027, and the rest of the cast has not yet been chosen.

Elba’s Directing Record and Upcoming Work

theGrio says Elba made his feature directing debut with *Yardie*, a 2018 crime drama. *In Laws* would be his fourth feature as a director. His upcoming film *Above the Below* is scheduled for Dec. 4.

theGrio also reports that Elba is attached to direct an untitled Apple Original Films project with Wunmi Mosaku and Charlie Cox, expected in 2027.

Timeline and Open Questions

Shooting in Spain is expected to begin in March 2027, and the rest of the cast has not yet been chosen. theGrio says additional casting is underway.

Sortiraparis says no French release date has been announced.

The dates in the reports run as follows: the Prime Video launch of *Heads of State* on July 2, 2025; the Deadline exclusive on November 6, 2026; theGrio’s article on November 7; and a planned Spain shoot in March 2027.