Idris Elba to team up with Ken Block on Quibi car-stunt show

By RELAXNEWS | 17 June 2019


LONDON: Idris Elba ("Luther," "Avengers" franchise, "The Jungle Book") and renowned rally driver Ken Block will star in a car-stunt series called "Elba vs. Block," which will pit cars against each other in a series of stunts for short-form video platform Quibi.

Actor, director and DJ Elba is the latest big name to be linked with Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman's short-form streaming service, Quibi, due to launch in spring 2020.

For the eight-episode show, renowned rally driver Block and Elba will try to outperform each other in London's Docklands in a series of stunts with names like "Wall of Death," "Car Tightrope" and "Flaming Obstacle Course.”

Block is famous for his choreographed driving stunts; his Gymkhana video series has over 550 million YouTube views.

"Ken is my driving hero. I've never worked with a driver as skilled as him, so I'm a little intimidated by his talent," said Elba. "I love challenges, I love speed and I'm a 'wheel man,' so let's see how this plays out."

"Elba vs. Block" is a co-production between Workerbee (part of EndemolShine UK) and Elba's Green Door Pictures for Quibi.

Streaming service Quibi is targeted at mobile users, with shows broken into "chapters" no longer than 10 minutes. It will launch in April 2020 with a slew of high-profile shows from Steven Spielberg, Guillermo del Toro, Jennifer Lopez and Antoine Fuqua, among others.