Idris Elba replaces Charlie Hunnam in romantic drama

Idris Elba is poised to replace fellow Brit Charlie Hunnam in the upcoming adaptation of author Charles Martin's best-selling romantic novel The Mountain Between Us.

The Beasts of No Nation star is in negotiations to star in the drama about a couple of plane crash survivors who fall in love.

Hunnam and Gone Girl star Rosamund Pike were originally attached to star in the film, but the script has since been reworked by About a Boy screenwriter Chris Weitz and Hunnam is no longer the leading man.

Production is set to start this summer (16).

Elba has a plethora of projects on his plate at the moment, as he will appear in six movies in 2016, including Zootopia, Bastille Day, The Jungle Book, Finding Dory, Star Trek Beyond, A Hundred Streets, and The Dark Tower.

He has a lot of exciting news to celebrate, as the star was a big winner at the 22nd annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on 30 January (16). Elba picked up the Outstanding Male Actor in a TV Movie or Miniseries and Outstanding Male Actor in a Supporting Role trophies for Luther and Beasts of No Nation, respectively, at the ceremony.

The Luther actor's name has also been linked to suave superspy James Bond for months, and while the British star has laughed off the talk in the past, he does admit he'd like to be in the running if current 007 Daniel Craig does plan to step down.

"I'm an actor for hire, so obviously, you always want to be in the mix," he told USA Today. "But at the same time, the ambition is to start stuff up for me and others: introduce talent, ideas, stories. That's full circle when it comes to someone like me as a performer, because I'm creative in many different ways and don't want to just do one thing."