# This Is How It Goes (film)
*This Is How It Goes* is an upcoming thriller feature film directed by [Idris Elba](https://www.edgepedia.org/idris-elba), based on [Neil LaBute](https://www.edgepedia.org/neil-labute)'s 2005 play of the same name and produced for Apple TV+.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39158665/) • [2](https://www.vfxcallsheet.com/portal/this-is-how-it-goes) As of early 2026 the film is in post-production, with shooting in London that began on October 1, 2025.[2](https://www.vfxcallsheet.com/portal/this-is-how-it-goes)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director | Idris Elba, who also stars and serves as executive producer[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39158665/) • [3](https://fmdb.mov/en/movie/1545083-this-is-how-it-goes) |
| Writers | Nathaniel Price (screenplay), from the play by Neil LaBute[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39158665/) • [3](https://fmdb.mov/en/movie/1545083-this-is-how-it-goes) |
| Stars | Charlie Cox, Idris Elba, Wunmi Mosaku, and Elliott Heffernan[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39158665/) |
| Genre and rating | Thriller and drama; rated R[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39158665/) |
| Production | Apple Studios (US), 22Summers (GB), and Gaumont (FR)[3](https://fmdb.mov/en/movie/1545083-this-is-how-it-goes) |
| Filming | London, UK; shooting began October 1, 2025; in post-production[2](https://www.vfxcallsheet.com/portal/this-is-how-it-goes) |
| Cinematographer | Fabian Wagner[3](https://fmdb.mov/en/movie/1545083-this-is-how-it-goes) |
## Production
**Apple Original Films project.** The film is produced by Apple Original Films, Apple Studios, 22summers, and Gaumont UK, with Apple TV+ listed for distribution.[2](https://www.vfxcallsheet.com/portal/this-is-how-it-goes) The credited producers are Gina Carter, Alison Jackson, and Sidonie Dumas, with Idris Elba also credited as an executive producer.[2](https://www.vfxcallsheet.com/portal/this-is-how-it-goes) • [3](https://fmdb.mov/en/movie/1545083-this-is-how-it-goes) Fabian Wagner serves as director of photography.[3](https://fmdb.mov/en/movie/1545083-this-is-how-it-goes)
Production details recorded by industry trackers place the shoot in London beginning October 1, 2025, with the film in post-production as of early 2026 and no release date yet announced.[2](https://www.vfxcallsheet.com/portal/this-is-how-it-goes) TechRadar, surveying Apple's film slate, listed *This Is How It Goes* as a psychological thriller starring Idris Elba among the projects that have already finished filming, within a 2026 Apple TV lineup that is otherwise streaming-first.[4](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/apple-tv-plus/apple-tv-going-streaming-first-with-every-2026-movie-feels-risky-especially-with-potential-barbie-marty-supreme-and-karate-kid-sized-hits-all-coming)
## Story and cast
According to the synopsis, the story centers on a man going back to the town he came from and renewing contact with a crush from high school who is now the wife of a rich Black businessman; as he admits his former feelings and inflames racial tensions, the version of events he tells becomes progressively harder to trust.[2](https://www.vfxcallsheet.com/portal/this-is-how-it-goes) [Letterboxd](https://www.edgepedia.org/letterboxd) summarizes the setup from the other side: a couple reconnect with an old school acquaintance, apparently randomly, and offer to take him in.[5](https://letterboxd.com/film/this-is-how-it-goes/) IMDb lists the film as an examination of marriage, trust, and race, rated R.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39158665/)
The cast includes [Charlie Cox](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-cox), Idris Elba, Elliott Heffernan, and [Wunmi Mosaku](https://www.edgepedia.org/wunmi-mosaku), whose character is named Denver White; Isla Jackson-Ritchie plays Lydia.[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39158665/)
## The source play
Neil LaBute's play premiered at the Public Theater in New York in March 2005, directed by George C. Wolfe, with [Ben Stiller](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-stiller) as the unnamed Man, Amanda Peet as Belinda, and [Jeffrey Wright](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeffrey-wright) as Cody.[6](https://www.theatermania.com/news/this-is-how-it-goes_5824/) The UK premiere followed at the Donmar Warehouse in 2005 with [Ben Chaplin](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-chaplin) and Megan Dodds.[7](https://www.whatsonstage.com/west-end-theatre/news/this-is-how-it-goes_11719.html/)
The play is set in small town America and centers on an interracial love triangle. Belinda and Cody Phipps are teenage sweethearts now married with children and a luxurious home; Cody is described by Belinda as "rich and black and different," and a white former classmate of hers becomes a lodger over their garage.[8](https://www.concordtheatricals.co.uk/p/11783/this-is-how-it-goes) Its cast is listed as two women and two men, and its title is taken from one of [Aimee Mann](https://www.edgepedia.org/aimee-mann)'s songs.[8](https://www.concordtheatricals.co.uk/p/11783/this-is-how-it-goes) • [7](https://www.whatsonstage.com/west-end-theatre/news/this-is-how-it-goes_11719.html/)
**The unreliable narrator.** [The Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-man) who enters the Phipps household also serves as the play's narrator, and he cautions the audience that his descriptions are not necessarily reliable; at least one scene is played in two versions, with Cody and Belinda enacting both.[6](https://www.theatermania.com/news/this-is-how-it-goes_5824/) • [9](https://www.aislesay.com/SF-THIS-IS-HOW.html) The film's synopsis carries this device over directly: the man's account of events "grows steadily less trustworthy."
## References
1. [This Is How It Goes, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39158665/)
2. [This is How it Goes, VFX Callsheet](https://www.vfxcallsheet.com/portal/this-is-how-it-goes)
3. [This Is How It Goes, FMDb](https://fmdb.mov/en/movie/1545083-this-is-how-it-goes)
4. [Apple TV going streaming-first with every 2026 movie feels risky, TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/streaming/apple-tv-plus/apple-tv-going-streaming-first-with-every-2026-movie-feels-risky-especially-with-potential-barbie-marty-supreme-and-karate-kid-sized-hits-all-coming)
5. [This Is How It Goes, Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/film/this-is-how-it-goes/)
6. [This Is How It Goes review, TheaterMania (March 28, 2005)](https://www.theatermania.com/news/this-is-how-it-goes_5824/)
7. [This Is How It Goes, WhatsOnStage](https://www.whatsonstage.com/west-end-theatre/news/this-is-how-it-goes_11719.html/)
8. [This Is How It Goes, Concord Theatricals](https://www.concordtheatricals.co.uk/p/11783/this-is-how-it-goes)
9. [This Is How It Goes, Aisle Say (San Francisco)](https://www.aislesay.com/SF-THIS-IS-HOW.html)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Adaptations of literature, stage, and other media › Films based on stage plays*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license