Netflix Gets ‘Beasts of No Nation’ Starring Idris Elba
Netflix will be releasing Beasts of No Nation simultaneously in theaters and on its streaming service later this year according to Variety. The giant Internet streaming media service provider reportedly paid close to $12 million for the worldwide rights for the distribution of the African war drama about the plight of child soldiers.
The acquisition of Beasts of No Nation marks Netflix's renewed interest in the original film business. It just bought the war thriller Jadotville, starring Jamie Dornan, last month at the Berlin Film Festival after previously announcing it has secured four-picture deals with both Adam Sandler and the Duplass brothers.
According to Variety, Netflix would debut Beasts of No Nation only in "select" theaters, since most major theater chains will not to screen films that do not honor the traditional 90-day delay between their theatrical debut and their home entertainment premiere.
Directed and written by Cary Fukunaga, Beasts of No Nation is adapted from the 2005 novel of the same name by Nigerian-American author Uzodinma Iweala. It follows the story of the young boy Agu, who, when civil war tears his family apart and militants kill his father in an undisclosed West African country, is forced to join a unit of mercenary fighters. The film stars Idris Elba as the warlord who takes in Abu and turns him into a child soldier by cajoling, manipulating, mentoring and otherwise systematically stripping away his sense of humanity. Elba joins a cast that includes Ama K. Abebrese, Grace Nortey, David Dontoh, and Opeyemi Fagbohungbe. The film was produced in Ghana by Participant Media and Red Crown at a reported cost of $6million.
In a statement following acquisition of the film, Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said: Beasts of No Nation is a powerful film that unfolds beautifully in the hands of director Cary Fukunaga, with Idris Elba delivering a career-defining performance. We are so proud to bring a film of this caliber exclusively to Netflix members around the world at the same time as it appears in select theaters."