‘Above the Below’ First Images Reveal Idris Elba in a Claustrophobic Sci-Fi Survival Thriller

A catastrophic return to Earth leaves three astronauts stranded beneath the ocean’s surface in the first images from Above the Below, an upcoming sci-fi survival thriller starring Idris Elba. Distributed by Lionsgate, the film is set to arrive in theaters on December 4.

Elba (Thor: Ragnarok, Beast) stars alongside Caitlin FitzGerald (“We Were Liars”) and Hero Fiennes Tiffin (“Young Sherlock”) as astronauts fighting to survive after a disastrous re-entry. Elba also co-directs the film with Martin Owen (The Loneliest Boy in the World).

What Is Above the Below About?

According to the official synopsis, the story follows three astronauts who survive a catastrophic fall from space, only to find themselves trapped in the crushing depths of the ocean. With their oxygen supply running out, the survivors face a desperate race to reach the surface.

The synopsis reads:

“When three astronauts survive a catastrophic fall from space, they become trapped in the crushing depths of the ocean with oxygen rapidly running out. Facing a race against time where every breath could be their last, they must make impossible choices about who will risk everything to reach the surface and who may be left behind.”

The screenplay was written by Elizabeth Morris, Matthew Mitchell, and Vicki Sargent.

Idris Elba Promises Practical Effects and Underwater Tension

Speaking with Collider, Elba teased the film’s claustrophobic atmosphere and the practical work that helped bring its high-pressure survival scenario to life.

“I’m very excited to show people that I can hold my breath for four minutes,” Elba joked. “Joking aside (I can hold my breath for that long), but you know, this film was very practical. We did a lot of the things in this film. We did build the spacecraft, we submerged it in water, we shot a lot of it underwater.”

He continued, “There’s a real practicality to this film that adds to the claustrophobia and the thriller aspect of it. So I’m really excited for people to literally go on that journey with us, from space to the ocean, and be entertained, be thrilled, and be claustrophobic.”

The first-look images offer a glimpse of the film’s confined setting, where the dangers of space give way to the suffocating depths of the ocean. With dwindling oxygen and impossible decisions facing its three leads, Above the Below looks to deliver a tense survival story built around isolation and the constant threat of death.

The 85-minute sci-fi thriller arrives in theaters December 4.