This is maybe closer to the kind of role fans of Idris Elba would like to see him in more often.

The actor will star in a Paris-set thriller that will see Elba battle terrorists in the City of Light, in a project from Vendome Pictures and Anonymous Content, scripted by Andrew Baldwin, with James Watkins (The Woman in Black) attached to direct, from a script penned by Brian Helgeland.

Heading into the Cannes Film Market (Marche Du Film), StudioCanal has come on board to finance the project, and will shop worldwide distribution at the market, which kicks off tomorrow, May 14, at the Cannes Film Festival.

So it’s a go!

Titled Bastille Day, the film will center on a U.S. agent (played by Elba) whose job is to make a young American man “disappear,” after it is uncovered that he’s linked to a terrorist attack in Paris. However, things change when the agent discovers that the man is actually innocent of the crime, after several more terrorist attacks occur, while the man is supposed to have “disappeared,” meaning someone else is responsible, and it’s the agent’s job to sniff him/her out.

While Elba, who was most recently seen in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, has seen screen time in high-profile action movies in recent years, he often has had to take a back seat to typically white male leads. And while this may not be as high profile a project; or one with the same humongous budgets and notoriety as the others, this will be one rare moment of glory for him. And the international nature of the project should only help the film travel, and help increase his international box office appeal.

By the way, Bastille Day is the French National Day, which is equivalent to July 4/Independence Day here in the USA.

Stay tuned…