It may not be James Bond, but Thor star Idris Elba will be joining the world of espionage for a currently untitled spy movie which, after an intense bidding war, has landed at Apple. Elba is set to star in the lead and will be teaming up with X-Men: Dark Phoenix director Simon Kinberg for the project.

Though details remain a closely guarded secret at the moment, the new Idris Elba movie has been described as a "spy movie with romance" which will be set in Africa. Kinberg and Audrey Chon, president of Kinberg's Genre Films are on board as producers, along with Elba, with the movie's script set to be penned by Travon Free, whose previous credits include the likes of Black Monday and The Daily Show.

Elba has found much success as an actor, producer, director and musician, and has become well-known around the world thanks to starring roles in the likes of The Wire, the detective drama Luther, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, and Netflix's Beasts of No Nation. The actor has also been a part of several of Hollywood's biggest franchises including Star Trek, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw in which Elba took on both The Rock and Jason Statham as the movie's villain Brixton.

This untiled spy movie comes quickly following the Idris Elba's recent signing of a first-look deal with Apple, with the deal meaning that the actor and his Green Door Pictures production company will produce both series and features for Apple's streaming platform, Apple TV Plus. Elba and Green Door are also behind the upcoming Concrete Cowboy, which follows a 15-year-old boy from Detroit who is sent to live with his estranged father in Philadelphia and learns about the local urban cowboys. Directed by Ricky Staub, the movie stars Idris Elba, Caleb McLaughlin, Jharrel Jerome, Lorraine Toussaint, Byron Bowers and Method Man. Concrete Cowboy will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2020.

For years fans have been longing to see Elba tuxedo-up as famous MI6 agent 007, and while the upcoming spy movie from Apple does not sound exactly like a Bond outing, it is certainly a step in the right direction. Over the last few weeks, rumors of Elba taking over the role have been churning, with the Cats star edging closer to becoming the next James Bond thanks to the odds consistently improving. Elba is currently an incredible 6/1 on taking up the 007 mantle, with Ladbrokes spokesperson Alex Apati commented on these odds saying, "Idris Elba is fast becoming a frontrunner in the James Bond betting with punters convinced he'll be taking over from Daniel Craig."

Simon Kinberg meanwhile is best known for producing the X-Men movies in Fox's comic book movie franchise, and recently made his feature film directorial debut with last year's X-Men: Dark Phoenix. The Idris Elba-led spy movie will not be the first time that Kinberg has delved into the world of spying, with the Mr. & Mrs. Smith writer already lined up to direct the upcoming spy thriller 355 starring Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong'o, Penelope Cruz, Diane Kruger and Fan Bin Bing set for release by Universal in Jan 2021. This news comes to us courtesy of Variety.