Idris Elba's ABOVE THE BELOW Trailer Sends Three Astronauts Into a Terrifying Fight for Survival
Space is dangerous enough, but getting back to Earth might be even worse. Lionsgate has released the first trailer for Above the Below, a sci-fi survival thriller starring Idris Elba that turns a routine return from space into a nightmare beneath the ocean.
The film follows three astronauts, Jackson (Elba), Brooks (Caitlin FitzGerald), and Rhodes (Hero Fiennes Tiffin), who run into serious trouble when their spacecraft is thrown off course during re-entry. Their mission takes a disastrous turn when they crash into the ocean, leaving them trapped inside a sinking capsule with no way to contact anyone for help.
Making matters more interesting is the spacecraft itself, which has some kind of advanced AI system onboard. Exactly how that technology factors into the astronauts' predicament is a mystery, but it certainly adds another potential problem to an already terrifying situation.
The trailer takes an interesting approach to showing off the film, presenting much of the action through a viewport-like frame. We're given brief glimpses of the chaos unfolding inside and outside the spacecraft, and it's a pretty fun way to introduce the story without revealing too much.
There's also the possibility that Above the Below has something much bigger going on than a simple survival story. Could these astronauts have returned to an Earth that's drastically different from the one they left behind?
The footage raises some interesting questions about whether they've somehow ended up in the distant future, possibly on a planet swallowed by rising oceans. It would make for a wild Planet of the Apes-style reveal, although that's purely speculation for now.
Elba also co-directs the film alongside Martin Owen, marking his second feature as a director following Yardie. Owen previously directed L.A. Slasher, Let's Be Evil, Killers Anonymous, The Intergalactic Adventures of Max Cloud, Twist, and The Loneliest Boy in the World.
The screenplay comes from Elizabeth Morris, Matt Mitchell, and Vicki Sargent, based on a story by Owen. Matt Williams and Gina Carter produce the film for Future Artists Entertainment.
I like the combination of sci-fi mystery and claustrophobic survival horror. Being stranded in the ocean is bad enough, but being sealed inside a spacecraft that's slowly sinking adds a whole new level of terror. Throw in an unpredictable AI and the possibility that something strange has happened to Earth, and this could be a fun sci-fi thriller.
Above the Below opens in theaters on December 4, 2026.
