'Beasts of No Nation' star Idris Elba survived falling off a cliff during a difficult scene during filming while director Cary Fukunaga contracted malaria on-set prompting the delay in production. However, the cast and crew of the upcoming American war drama managed to push on despite the stumbling blocks.
According to Variety, Elba almost met his demise on-location in a Ghanaian jungle when he lost his footing and fell off a cliff overlooking a waterfall. It was reported that he was leaning against a tree and all of a sudden found himself plunging down the edge but luckily a narrow ridge saved him from an otherwise gruesome 90-foot drop.
Another article by Cinema Blend described the scene Elba was filming for as a "guerilla-like shoot". The Golden Globe nominee admitted with relief that he was just a branch away from an untimely departure. He said, "I remember slipping and catching onto this big branch that was sticking up, and I literally was like, 'Whoa!' It was a moment where I was like, 'This is the real deal.' "
Not to be outdone by Elba's own experience, 'Beasts of No Noation' director Cary Joji Fukunaga also got his fair share of jungle fever. It was reported by Vulture that the Emmy award winning filmmaker contracted vector-borne malaria as well as shed 20 full pounds during filming. It was also revealed that he nearly stepped on a snake known to be poisonous.
'Beasts of No Nation' is an upcoming American war drama film based on Uzodinma Iweala's 2005 novel of the same name and follows the story of a young boy forced to join mercenaries after a civil war leaves him without a family. It is scheduled for release in U.S. theaters on October 16, 2015 and is considered as one of Netflix's most high-profile original releases to date. It is set to star Elba as the Commandant, Ama K. Abebrese as Mother, and newcomer Abraham Attah as Agu.
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