Hijack: Idris Elba goes up against terrorists taking over a flight in a new Apple series told in real-time

It’s Passenger 57 meets 24. Or perhaps just 24. Idris Elba stars in a new series from AppleTV+ called Hijack. The title pretty much cues you in on the concept. A group of terrorists takes over a seven-hour flight. What they want is not yet revealed, but they have allies on the ground that are helping to make their demands. However, something they didn’t count on is an experienced business negotiator already on the flight. This negotiator, portrayed by Elba, is preparing to deal with them…in more ways than one. The show takes during the events surrounding the seven-hour international flight and will be told in real-time.

The Hollywood Reporter has unveiled details about the new Apple original. “The action takes place in real-time, over the course of the seven-hour flight from Dubai to London. The clock starts ticking as Sam (played by Idris Elba) tries first to negotiate and then outsmart the terrorists but, in so doing, uncovers a larger conspiracy. The action takes place in real-time, over the course of the seven-hour flight from Dubai to London. On the ground in London, a counter-terrorism team led by Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife) becomes embroiled in the investigation and scrambles to find answers before passengers start dying.”

The limited Apple Original series is brought to us by creators George Kay, known for Lupin, and Jim Field Smith, whose credits include Criminal. Starring along with Idris Elba and Archie Panjabi is an ensemble that includes Christine Adams, Max Beesley, Eve Myles, Neil Maskell, Jasper Britton, Harry Michell, Aimee Kelly, Mohamed Elsandel and Ben Miles. George Kay and Jim Field Smith also serve as executive producers on the show alongside Elba, Laurenson, Kousetta, and Kris Thykier. The series is also the first to come from the first-look deal that Elba’s Green Door Pictures has with Apple.

Kay and Field Smith also are on board as the directors of episodes for the series. Hijack is produced by 60Forty Films, the production company behind Apple dramas Slow Horses and The Essex Serpent, and Kay and FIeld-Smith’s Idiotlamp Productions.

Hijack is set to board on AppleTV+ on June 28.