Jamaican gangs agreed to three day ceasefire to allow Idris Elba to film new movie Yardie

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Idris reveals the heartbreaking story in this exclusive video (Picture: Metro.co.uk)

Idris Elba has revealed that Jamaican gangs agreed to a ceasefire to allow him to film his new movie Yardie.

Based on the 1992 book about a young Jamaicans rise from the streets of London to the top of the drug-dealing underworld, parts of the film are set in Kingston but Idris has now revealed in this exclusive video for Metro.co.uk how the community came together for three or four days to allow the production team to work.

Sadly, however, the day after they left a young kid died during a shooting.

Sadly a young boy died a day after the crew left the area (Picture: StudioCanal)

We shot in an area in Kingston called Rose Garden which to this day has huge gang issues, reveals Idris, and young men and kids are dying every day from these battles.

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When we scouting for the film, one of our security advisers said: “Look, coming to Kingston is one thing but [to go to] Rose Garden to look for possible locations is very dangerous, we wouldnt advise it, let along film it.”

But we get permission basically and what happens is the local community calls a cease fire for three or four days while we shot and what is crazy is because Rose Garden is divided into divisions, we were casting extras from everywhere.

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So even though the storyline was “Tapper vs Spicer comes together”, within Rose Garden there were people that are usually involved [in opposing gangs] coming together, the irony was interesting, he adds.

But sadly as soon as we left, the night after there was a shooting and a kid died.

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Set largely in 1980s Hackney, the film is based on Jamaican-born British writer Victor Headleys book Yardie; the term stems from the slang name originally given to occupants of “government yards”, or social housing projects with very basic amenities.

The film will star Aml Ameen, with Stephen Graham and Elba in supporting roles.

Yardie is out in the UK on 24 August 2018.

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