Idris Elba”s directorial feature debut, Yardie, is gearing up for pre-production with shooting set to take place in London and Jamaica.

Yardie is adapted by Brock Norman Brock from the book by Jamaican-born British writer Victor Headley and follows a cocaine courier who rises through the ranks of London”s murky criminal underbelly.

The big-screen project comes from Warp Films – PI subscribers can log in for specifics such as producers, casting director, line producer, location manager and production designer.

The seven-week shoot will take place largely in London with a few days in Jamaica; principal photography gets underway in May.

Warp Films is also busy on The Death and Life of John F Donovan, which begins its UK leg of filming towards the end of this month.

The international co-production with Lyla Films in Montreal stars Kit Harington, Jessica Chastain, Jacob Tremblay, Susan Sarandon, Natalie Portman and Kathy Bates and marks the English-language debut of French-Canadian director Xavier Dolan.

Photo courtesy of Neilson Barnard/Getty Images Ent.