Not long ago, Netflix announced it was getting into the original film business. The streaming media Goliath had an aggressive plan for movies that would debut on its own service and in theaters on the same day.
The first fruit of this initiative has an impressive pedigree attached to it. Beasts of No Nation tells the story of Agu, a young African boy taken away from his family and trained to fight in a local civil war. The boy is portrayed by newcomer Abraham Attah, but the Commandant who abducts and trains him is played by acclaimed British actor Idris Elba.
The film, based on a novel by Uzodinma Iweala, was written and directed by Cary Fukunaga. That name may sound familiar. As a rising star in arthouse film, Fukunaga is the director of 2011's Jane Eyre adaptation, and more recently, he helmed the entire first season of HBO's True Detective.
The first trailer for Beasts of No Nation can be found below.
Other movies on Netflix's plate include Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend, a follow-up to the original box office hit; Pee Wee's Big Holiday, Paul Ruebens' big-screen return to his most famous character after almost 30 years, produced by Judd Apatow; and four comedies starring Adam Sandler, starting with Western-themed The Ridiculous Six.
Beasts of No Nation comes to Netflix on October 16, 2015. It will open in select theaters that same day.
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