Idris Elba wants his new movie to be a trilogy

Cape Town - Idris Elba wants to make a "Jamaican Godfather trilogy" out of his new movie Yardie - which was his directorial debut.

The film which had its premiere in London on Tuesday is based on the novel of the same name by Jamaican-born writer Victor Headley. 

It tells the story of Jamaican boy D growing up in Kingston who saw his older brother, a DJ, shot dead when he was trying to make peace between rival gangs.

A decade later, in 1983, D is working for local drug lord King Fox, who has become a father figure.

In an interview with AFP earlier this year Elba said he tapped into his own roots for the film. 

"I was raised in east London and the central character, his journey isn't too dissimilar from most young black boys in England, whether they're from the West Indies or Africa."

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE: