Idris Elba to become a nanny for Netflix
Actor and professional handsome son of a bitch Idris Elba has been busy in recent years: Winning awards for his roles in Beasts Of No Nation and Luther, headlining massive would-be blockbusters (albeit with underwhelming results), and of course DJing his little heart out as always. One area he’s been deficient? Nannying.
That embarrassing gap in his resume is about to be corrected, thank heavens. Variety reports Elba is set to star in Turn Up Charlie, a new half-hour comedy series for Netflix. While there’s no word on whether the title is simple a misunderstanding stemming from a Netflix exec offering his friend Chuck a root vegetable during the pitch meeting, the details of the plot are as follows: Elba stars as Charlie, a struggling DJ and perpetual bachelor, who’s given “a final chance at success when he reluctantly becomes a manny to his famous best friend’s problem-child daughter.” Aside from the unfortunate use of the word “manny,” we’d say this draws from Elba’s real-world music-spinning experiences, save for the word “struggling.”
The streaming service has ordered eight episodes, with production set to begin in May. Along with TV producer Gary Reich, Elba co-created the series, the second small-screen comedy he’ll have made and starred in, following his current gig on the Sky One show In The Long Run, loosely based on his own life. Next up? A fictional gig as a doula, we’re guessing, as Elba works his way through the various stages of child-raising.