That embarrassing gap in his resume is about to be corrected, thank heavens. Variety reports Elba is set to star in Turn Up Charlie, a new half-hour comedy series for Netflix. While there’s no word on whether the title is simple a misunderstanding stemming from a Netflix exec offering his friend Chuck a root vegetable during the pitch meeting, the details of the plot are as follows: Elba stars as Charlie, a struggling DJ and perpetual bachelor, who’s given “a final chance at success when he reluctantly becomes a manny to his famous best friend’s problem-child daughter.” Aside from the unfortunate use of the word “manny,” we’d say this draws from Elba’s real-world music-spinning experiences, save for the word “struggling.”
The streaming service has ordered eight episodes, with production set to begin in May. Along with TV producer Gary Reich, Elba co-created the series, the second small-screen comedy he’ll have made and starred in, following his current gig on the Sky One show In The Long Run, loosely based on his own life. Next up? A fictional gig as a doula, we’re guessing, as Elba works his way through the various stages of child-raising.
