Idris Elba has made his directorial debut in advertising, creating a six-minute video for Pepsi.
The sporty video takes its inspiration from the 1970s, a Golden era for football.
It stars Simona Zivkovska and Zach Hamilton as youngsters falling in love as they navigate life at school, while discovering their hidden talents.
Idris Elba behind the camera
"I like the whole 70s era, the haircuts and the style, and I chose a character that is stereotypically a nerd, isn’t sporty looking… but [it] turns out that he really is good at [football], and he is unstoppable when he starts to let himself go," said Idris of the idea behind the video.
The clip is set to and inspired by Unstoppable - the latest hit from Dutch producer and DJ heavyweight, R3HAB featuring singer Eva Simons.
It is the third track from the Pepsi MAX Beats of the Beautiful Game album - a global visual disc that claims to capture the spirit of the international game of football.
"When I first heard the song I really loved the idea of being unstoppable… it's self belief, it's someone that just says: “Guess what? I can do anything I want to do," added Idris, former star of HBO show The Wire and the BBC'S Luther.
Idris Elba on the set of his advert for Pepsi
Speaking of the track and the inspiration behind the album, Idris said: "Football is uniting – it’s about the fans and it’s about the players. Everybody loves sports, everybody loves competition, but when your country is playing against another country it's that one time that everyone sits in the stands and is unified. It definitely brings people together."
The Golden Globe-winning actor has already directed a music video - Mumford and Sons' Lover of the Light - but this is his first advert. Idris was recently unveiled as the voice of Shere Khan the tiger in a new live-action film of Rudyard Kipling's classic tale, The Jungle Book.
