Idris Elba to Produce/Star in 1970's London Black Power Movement Series and It's Right On Ti

Premium cable channel, Showtime, has ordered "Guerrilla", a six part series about London's 1970's Black Power Movement created by John Ridley ("American Crime") . Although details about Idris' co-starring role has yet to be revealed, insiders speculate that Elba will more than likely portray a key figure in the Black resistance movement that shook London to its core. The 43 year old London native will also serve as the series' executive producer through his production company, Green Door Pictures.

Variety offers a general plot synopsis of the highly anticipated series:

"A love story set in one of the most explosive political times in U.K. history, the miniseries tells the story of a 1970s London couple who liberates a political prisoner and forms a radical underground cell. The group targets the Black Power Desk, a true-life counter-intelligence unit within Special Branch dedicated to crushing all forms of black activism. Though set against a backdrop of social upheaval and activism, the story focuses on the relationship between the two characters at its center."

When asked about the prospect of working with John Ridley, Elba graciously replied, “It’s been a long time desire of mine to collaborate with Mr. Ridley and his work here is nothing short of a masterclass in character building and story-telling. TV is in for a treat.”

Black Power Activist, Darkus Howe, addresses a rally for the Mangrove Nine in Notting Hill in 1971. Photograph: Horace Ove

Since more details about the storyline have not come to surface, one can assume that the basis for the project will reflect the ideologies of leftist- radical groups such as the Black Unity and Freedom Party, a London-based political organization that was heavily influenced by America's Black Panther Party.

Elba and Ridley could not be more timely with the production of "Guerrilla". Recently, the United Kingdom has been heavily criticized by historians and academics for purposely erasing the history of London's Black Power Movement because it doesn't reflect the civilized, inclusive, fictitious national narrative. Cambridge academic Robin Bunce states, "There is a fundamental danger of erasing the very notion of a struggle at all. I've been researching this for four and a half years and there have been so many occasions when people have said to me: 'There was no black struggle in Britain. You're thinking of South Africa or America.'