Sir Lenny Henry is to star in a new audio drama executive produced by Idris Elba.
Halfway is available for download from 18 April exclusively on Audible
The 65-year-old comedian will appear alongside Patricia Allison, George MacKay and Arinzé Kene in the sci-fi thriller - which examines a world in which AI is used to recreate the personalities of deceased loved ones for profit - and the project was overseen by Hollywood couple Idris and Sabrina Elba.
In a joint statement, they said: "“We’re both incredibly passionate about elevating the voices of underrepresented talent, which was at the core of what we wanted to do with this project and Audible. Imeldha Eloni and Michael Honnah have created an incredible story which was an absolute joy for us to Executive Produce.
"At S’ABLE Labs, partnership is one of our core pillars, which was at the root of everything the team did with Halfway. With music from Axel Kacoutié, direction from Holly Reddaway and all brought to life with an incredible acting performance from the cast, Halfway is a truly collaborative project and we can’t wait for people to hear it.”
The Audible drama - which marks the first time Idris and Sabrina have worked on such a project - has been described by writers Imeldha Eloni and Michael Honnah as an "incredibly rich" concept that will draw on "real-world" issues throughout as they thanked the celebrity duo for their support.
They said: "Audible and S'ABLE Labs supported and championed us to adventure with all of our original ideas. We were encouraged to push the boat out and make something that was cinematic for the ears. As a result, Halfway is an incredibly rich, grounded sci-fi from a particular black British perspective. It draws on real-world issues and we are excited to have created a story that discusses the social consumption of tech and how human relationships have become reliant on technology as it evolves into more advanced forms like AI.”
'Halfway' is available for download from 18 April exclusively on Audible.
Audible membership may be required.
Tagged in Idris Elba Lenny Henry George MacKay