Idris Elba isn’t unknown to television; he did star in critically-acclaimed shows “The Wire” and “Luther.” But Elba’s now a certified movie star, playing in films like Marvel’s “Thor” films, “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” and is lending is voice to “Finding Dory.” With his movie credits racking up, the last place people would probably expect to see him would be back on their television screens. But indeed, Elba is coming back to television in a very special way.

Variety reports that Elba will star in a four-episode docu-series, currently with the working title “The Idris Elba Project.” The show, a production of Shine North and Elba’s company, Green Door Pictures will air in 2015 on Discovery.

“The Idris Elba Project” will show Elba training with racing experts and engineers as he gets ready for different kinds of racing challenges. Elba said in a statement that he’ll meet “extraordinary individuals, spectacular machines and hear amazing stories of how far people go to satisfy their love of speed.” The challenges are designed to take Elba “out of [his] comfort zone” as he races competitors on land, water and even in the air.

The docu-series sounds cool and is right up Discovery’s alley when it comes to educational (or at least semi-educational) reality shows. It’ll also be neat to see Elba in the driver’s seat and exploring the world of racing. This is also not Elba’s first time working with racing culture; in 2013, Elba starred in “Idris Elba: King of Speed,” which took Elba into the history of racing.

What do you think about this career move? Give your opinions in the comments section below.

http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/idris-elba-to-star-in-racing-docu-series-for-discovery-1201367700/