Idris Elba Is Walking Away from Acting to Direct Full Time
Bracing for blowback over his next move, the actor says he hopes his fan base won’t be mad at him.
If you are an Idris Elba person, enjoy the next few projects while you can. He is not quitting acting tomorrow, but he is very openly setting his sights on getting behind the camera full time.
Elba says the plan is to go all-in on directing
Speaking at a screening of his new short film, 'Dust To Dreams' — which he directed — Elba told the crowd (via The Daily Mail) that the long game is to transition off the call sheet and into the director's chair.
'I am hoping my fan base as an actor is not mad at me, but eventually I want to transfer to being a director fully. I have been acting for a long time. I still love it, but directing lets me flex different muscles and be part of the set in a different way. I really enjoy it.'
He has already started laying the groundwork
'Dust To Dreams' is not his first time calling the shots. Elba made his feature directorial debut back in 2018 with 'Yardie,' starring Aml Ameen and Sheldon Shepherd, with Stephen Graham popping up as well. So this is not a whim — he has been building toward it.
What this means for his on-screen run
He is not disappearing from your screen overnight. Elba has stayed busy between franchise work and TV, and there is more on deck. If anything, this feels like him giving fans a heads-up that the balance will shift over time.
- Directing so far: the short 'Dust To Dreams' and the 2018 feature 'Yardie' (Aml Ameen, Sheldon Shepherd, with Stephen Graham).
- Big roles you know: Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe; Bloodsport in James Gunn's 'The Suicide Squad.'
- On TV: Apple TV+'s 'Hijack,' which is set to be back for Season 2 in January.
- On the way: in 2026, he is playing Man-At-Arms opposite Nicholas Galitzine's He-Man in the new 'Masters of the Universe' movie.
My read
Honestly, this tracks. Elba has been acting at a sprint for years, and he clearly likes the control and creative problem-solving that comes with directing. If he follows through, we will probably see less of him on screen, but there is a good chance we will be talking about his films from the other side of the lens instead. Not a bad trade if the work is there.