Idris Elba Sparks a Bidding War Between Netflix and Disney for New Project

Idris Elba is sparking a bit of a bidding war between streaming giants Netflix and Disney. So what’s all the fuss over? It’s all about Elba’s net cooking show.

The Luther star, 50, is expanding his stardom while also exploring his heritage in the new series. And while the show has yet to go into production, there are already multiple streaming giants that have made their interest clear.

“Idris Elba has created a television show all about exploring his roots,” an insider tells The Sun newspaper’s TVBiz column. “Idris will be seen going through his past and exploring his family’s heritage and culture.”

“Word has got around. And Netflix, Disney, and Paramount+ have all shown interest. There is a bidding war going on. But Idris is still working out where he thinks the show would be best placed.” the insider added.

In fact, there was already a first-look deal in place between Elba and Apple TV+. Though, Elba still has the ability to take the series elsewhere.

“He has a first-look deal with Apple TV+ and his production company Green Door Pictures but he can take the show elsewhere,” the insider also tells The Sun. “Idris is a perfectionist. And he will want everything to be just right before he decides who to go with.”

Idris Elba Has Been Busy!

Idris Elba has had no shortage of activity as of late. It was just last week that he was awarded an honorary doctorate at Ravensbourne University London at the school’s annual ceremony marking the graduation of 800 students of the creative and digital industries.

“Education is the exact foundation that I am standing on here today. Because of my education, I got to go places that I never even dreamed of going to,” Elba said while addressing the students. “I wanted to be in the creative arts because I wanted to contribute, I wanted to have a seat at the table, I wanted to have someone that looked like me, to have something to offer, and my education prepared me for that.”

Additionally, Idris Elba has 12 more projects in various stages of development. He has a number of voice-acting gigs that are in pre-production.  Those projects include the TV movie The Boy, the Mole, and the Fox and the Horse and the upcoming Sonic the Series TV show, which is expected to debut in 2023. He’ll also return to voice Knuckles in 2024’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3.