Idris Elba seems to be aiming to become the Tyler Perry of Ghana by building a film studio in the West African country to invest in Ghanaian filmmakers.
The British film star visited Ghana recently, where he met with the president of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, at the Jubilee House, Business Insider Africa reported. During the meeting, Elba pitched his idea to build a film studio in the country.
He noted the potential Ghana has for filming major productions that have been stifled due to a lack of resources. The Ghanaian and Sierra Leonian also urged for government support in Africa’s film industry.
“We’ve studied the models of obviously South Africa’s incredible incentive package, and around Europe, obviously, Greece, Morocco, these are all places where they realize the value of the filmmaking dollar and have brought that policy into play,” Elba told the president.
Elba is also working on a new movie and has plans to shoot part of the film in Ghana. Pre-production for the film begins in August, with official filming kicking off in December.
“It would be very beneficial for us to show and to make an announcement to the world that Ghana is open for business,” Elba said before sharing “the steps” he has planned for the project.
“The policies are in place and we have actually, bringing a film to our country, and we are going to put our money where our mouth is.”
News of Elba’s plans in Ghana comes after he shared his plans to build a studio in Tanzania. The Harder They Fall
star has been adamant about his plans to develop Africa’s film industry.Part of his initiative includes his starring roles in the films Beast of No Nation and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. He also filmed his 2021 film Beast in South Africa.