Fox is developing The Crusaders, a new hour-long drama series from executive producer Idris Elba, whose debonair talents we were just swooning over, and writer-director Thomas Ikimi (above, on Elba's right), whose 2010 indie suspenser Legacy starred Elba as an AWOL Black Ops operative hiding out in a Brooklyn motel after a botched military effort. The film made its international premiere at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival, while his short film Nostradamus made its world premiere at this year's festival as part of the Shorts: Interference program.

The Crusaders centers around an extended family of second-generation Africans living in the states who specialize in locating and returning valuable objects stolen from Africa during its colonial occupation. The drama, which is also being produced by Legendary TV and Di Bonaventura Television, looks to be network television's latest stab at further diversifying the broadcast landscape, with a worthy premise and a refreshingly multinational eye to boot. Ikimi will pen the script.

The project is a clear gesture on Fox's part to deepen its commitment to Elba, whose development partnership with the network began with a delayed American reboot of Elba's crossover BBC breakout procedural Luther, which still remains in the works, even though some of the series' loyalists are slightly less than pleased with the Americanization. The series looks to be an intriguing expansion of this relationship, but it's also an auspicious opportunity for Ikimi, whose gritty sophomore project Legacy and recent Tribeca short spotlighted a behind-the-scenes talent rife with promise. Let's hope The Crusaders allows him to fulfill it.

In the meantime, check out the trailer for Legacy and consider checking out this under-seen Tribeca selection: