Idris Elba officially recused himself from the on-going search for the next James Bond last year, and is instead focusing on playing different kinds of action heroes. In Hijack, the new thriller series on Apple TV+, Elba is Sam Nelson, a negotiator whose flight is overtaken by terrorists and who must use every last one of his professional skills to save himself and his fellow passengers.
In a pre-strike interview with Variety, Elba—who also executive-produced the series—explained why he was drawn to the role of Sam Nelson. “I was keen to play a character that was not necessarily an action hero but was in an action setting… I wanted him to be vulnerable and a bit like, you know, an unusual hero.”
The seventh and final episode of Hijack is now streaming on Apple TV+. But that might not be the end of the line for Sam Nelson.
Will there be a Season 2 of Hijack?
Apple has yet to announce whether a second season of the series is happening, but Elba has expressed his hopes for another collaboration. “I love Apple and we love each other and I think we’re gonna work together again,” he said, “but we’re just not currently in a set up as official.”
What would Season 2 be about?
While the premise of Season 1 was pretty clear—terrorists hijack a plane—Elba would want to explore a different kind of story if the show were to return, and resist the urge to just do the same thing again, in order to not stretch credulity.
“What would be the acceptable scenario that he comes back?” he said. “Because we’ve thought about this and obviously Apple have gone, ‘Well, we really love the show.’ And I think, you know, Rotten Tomatoes is at 92% at the moment, which is a good sign, but it’s kind of like — he’s not a cop — what would be the acceptable Sam Nelson return? And if I’m honest, I’m not sure. I’d like that, but I just don’t want to put him on another hijack. I’m open to that character coming back. I think if people were compelled to like the character, then I’m in.”
Philip Ellis is News Editor at Men’s Health, covering fitness, pop culture, sex and relationships, and LGBTQ+ issues. His work has appeared in GQ, Teen Vogue, Man Repeller and MTV, and he is the author of Love & Other Scams.
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