Hot off his villainous turn inHobbs and Shaw,Idris Elbahas signed on for the indie movieConcrete Cowboysalongside rising starsCaleb McLaughlin(Stranger Things) andJharrel Jerome, the latter of whom is currently up for an Emmy for his devastating turn inWhen They See Us.
Ricky Staubis directing from a script he co-wrote withDan Walser, and production is already under way. According to Deadline, McLaughlin will play a teen who’s taken to live with his estranged father (Elba) in North Philadelphia, where he discovers the city’s vibrant urban cowboy subculture, which flourishes despite the surrounding poverty, violence, and encroachment of gentrification.
Lorraine Toussaint(The Village) andByron Bowers(The Chi) will co-star in the film, which is inspired byGreg Neri’s novelGhetto Cowboyas well as the real-life Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club – an institution that has existed in Philadelphia for more than 100 years, providing a safe haven for that community.
Tucker Tooley Entertainment is financing the film and producing alongside Lee Daniels Entertainment and Elba’s Green Door Pictures. Tooley, Daniels and Elba will produce withJeff Waxman,Jennifer Madeloffand Walser. Neri will serve as an executive producer along withGreg Renker,Jason Barhydt,Sam Mercer,Tegan Jones, andStaci Hagenbaugh.
Concrete Cowboyswill serve as Staub’s feature directorial debut, an opportunity he earned with his short filmThe Cage, a story of survival in the streets of Philadelphia. The film also offers McLaughlin a juicy lead role after his ensemble work onStranger Things, and a small role inSteven Soderbergh’s Netflix dramaHigh Flying Bird.
Jerome broke out inBarry Jenkins' Oscar-winning dramaMoonlightand has since gone on to enjoy a series regular role onMr. Mercedes. He’ll soon be seen in the Sundance dramaSelah and The Spades, which was recently acquired by Amazon.
Elba and McLaughlin are both represented by WME, while Jerome is repped by UTA.
