Yara Shahidi is joining Catherine Hardwicke’s upcoming indie Street Smart along with Sylvester Powell, Michael Cimino and more.
According to Deadline, the trio will also star with pro skateboarding athlete Isiah Hilt, Isabelle Fuhrman, Daniel Zovatto, Kaitlyn Kemp and Miles McKenna in a story about a group of young unhoused adults living in Los Angeles. Deadline describes the characters as a group “who come together with humor and a bit of Robin Hood-style larceny, forging unbreakable bonds and redefining what it means to be a family.”
The film will also have a charitable component, with Covenant House and Safe Place for Youth serving as charitable partners.
Hardwicke released a statement about the two organizations coming on board to help with the film, as well as what it’s like for her to work in Los Angeles after the recent wildfires.
“In the wake of the recent tragedies that have profoundly impacted Los Angeles and the Hollywood community, we feel incredibly fortunate to be working in LA. We’re working together with a crazy cool group of actors and filmmakers to make an intensive, provocative and joyful film.”
Gerard Butler executive produces produces via G-BASE with Alan Siegel. Hardwicke also produces with Natalie Marciano, Jamie R. Thompson of New Dimension. Other executive producers include Fuhrman, Zovatto, Jamie Marshall, David Lasky, Michael Arata, and Rebel Entertainment execs Rock Jacobs and Batia Parnass.
Shahidi is also set to star in the coming-of-age film Bloom with Kedar Williams-Stirling, Keith Powers and Renée Elise Goldsberry.