He’s played good guys (Luther), bad guys (Stringer Bell) and guys who guard things (Thor’s Heimdall). Now Idris Elba is playing what we’re calling “the money guy” as executive-producer of new Brit horror Demons Never Die. He, and Demons’ director Arjun Rose, rocked up at Big Screen to talk about their new horror. “It’s a UK slasher first and foremost,” explained Rose. “It’s in an urban setting but with kids from different worlds. It’s quite stylised: a ‘neo-noir slasher’.”
Elba said that once Rose had approached him with the script at Takers’ premiere, he’d leapt at the chance to spread his wings. “It’s a great opportunity for me to do things other than what people expect me of as an actor… plus Arjun had a great sob story.” “And no shoes on,” joked Rose.
Was there talk of Elba appearing on the other side of the camera, too? “I asked but there’s no drug dealers and no cops in it,” grinned Elba. So what was the appeal of **Demons **for him? “Slasher movies are things we see Americans do a lot - we snigger in this country when we see people walk into dark rooms - so it was nice to do something like that with our accents and our sensibilities. We don’t walk into dark rooms just because the creepy music’s playing.”
Elba divulged that he’s a big scaredy-cat when it comes to haunted-house movies and that he’s had a couple of close encounters of the spectral kind himself (“it’s cold and there’s a funny smell, although I wasn’t sure if that was the ghost.”) He’s also finding time to make “two or three” more films with Rose under his production marque, all while juggling a slate that’s fuller than Mr Creosote’s dinner tray. “Working with Ridley Scott (on Prometheus) and Guillermo del Torro (on Pacific Rim) has been amazing.” And what news of Pacific Rim? “The script is amazing and Guillermo’s monsters are going to be something to look. I’m a little daunted. Guillermo is one of the most fearless filmmakers.” And? “I can’t tell you anything else.” Phoey.
What Idris could tell us is that Demons Never Die is out on October 28. Hang on, that’s Halloween. Hmm...