Hijack trailer takes off with Idris Elba in airborne standoff

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Elba looks tense here for a reason. He's got big problems to solve.
Elba looks tense here for a reason. He's got big problems to solve.
Photo: Apple TV+

Apple TV+ went wheels-up Thursday with a trailer for the upcoming thriller series Hijack. In it, Idris Elba plays a business negotiator who finds himself on a hijacked airliner and sets about handling a desperate situation that is much more complicated than it first appears — with the lives of 200 passengers at stake.

On the plane the clock is very much ticking, and so is ours as we wait for this show to take off. It debuts June 28 on Apple TV+.

Hijack trailer soars with negotiator Idris Elba in an airborne standoff

Here’s how Apple TV+ described the series, starring Elba (Luther) and Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife):

Told in real time, Hijack is a tense thriller that follows the journey of a hijacked plane as it makes its way to London over a seven-hour flight, and authorities on the ground scramble for answers. Elba will star as Sam Nelson, an accomplished negotiator in the business world who needs to step up and use all his guile to try and save the lives of the passengers — but, his high-risk strategy could be his undoing. Panjabi will play the role of Zahra Gahfoor, a counterterrorism officer who is on the ground when the plane is hijacked and becomes part of the investigation.

Cast and creators

In addition to SAG Award winner and Emmy Award nominee Elba and Emmy Award and NAACP Image Award winner Panjabi, the show also stars Max Beesley and Neil Maskell, Christine Adams, Eve Myles, Jasper Britton, Harry Michell, Aimée Kelly, Mohamed Elsandel and Ben Miles.

George Kay (Lupin, Criminal) and Jim Field Smith (Criminal, Truth Seekers) created the seven-episode show, with Kay writing and Smith directing.

Watch the trailer

Apple TV+ noted more credits:

Hijack is produced by 60Forty Films, the production company set up by Emmy Award-winning executive producers Jamie Laurenson and Hakan Kousetta (Slow Horses, The Essex Serpent) under its exclusive content deal with Apple TV+, alongside Kay and Field Smith’s own production company Idiotlamp Productions.

[Hijack] also marks the first series to debut from Elba’s first-look deal with Apple TV+ and his Green Door Pictures. In addition to writing and directing, Kay and Field Smith each serve as executive producers alongside Elba, Laurenson, Kousetta and Kris Thykier.

Hijack takes flight on Apple TV+ on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, with the first two episodes, followed by one new episode every Wednesday through August 2.

Get Apple TV+

Apple TV+ is available by subscription for $6.99 with a seven-day free trial. You can also get it via any tier of the Apple One subscription bundle. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.

After first airing in November 2019, “Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 299 wins and 1,451 award nominations and counting,” the service said.

Those include multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy Ted Lasso and historic Oscar Best Picture winner CODA.

 

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