Method Man is the latest star to join Idris Elba, Caleb McLaughlin, Jharrel Jerome, Lorraine Toussaint and Byron Bowers in Concrete Cowboys.
The film is based on a real-life Black horsemanship community and is inspired by the popular novel, Ghetto Cowboy, by Greg Neri. Elba was first attached to the project last April.
The description, per Deadline who broke the news of both the film and Method Man’s casting, reads: The film is inspired by the real-life Fletcher Street Stables, a black urban horsemanship community which has existed in Philadelphia for more than 100 years providing a safe haven for the neighborhood. Concrete Cowboys follows 15-year-old Cole (McLaughlin) who is taken to live with his estranged father Harp (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.
Method Man will play Leroy, “a lifelong friend of Harp’s (Elba) who grew up on Fletcher Street and now works as a mounted officer for the Philadelphia police department.”
Elba is a producer on the film, which is the feature directorial debut for Ricky Staub. The lead role is a star-making opportunity for McLaughlin in his own right, who has starred as one of the ensemble youths in Netflix’s Stranger Things since 2016. Lee Daniels Entertainment is among the film’s producers.
Method Man, whose real name is Cliford Smith Jr., has an extensive television and film resume outside of music. He most recently recurred on HBO’s The Deuce and appeared in the Shaft reboot. He’s an executive producer on Hulu’s upcoming series, Wu Tang: An American Saga, which focuses on the makings of the iconic hip-hop collective. Dave East is portraying him in that series.
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