Actor Idris Elba will be starring in the Jay-Z and Netflix collaboration The Harder They Fall.
The Jeymes Samuel directed film is about an outlaw seeking revenge on an adversary who murdered his parents. Sources report that Elba will be playing the role of the murderer.
Jonathan Majors (The Last Black Man in San Francisco), who plays the role of outlaw Nat Love, is the only other actor credited on IMDB.
The Netflix project is special in that it will join a very exclusive list of western films that feature an African-American cast.
Some other films that are in this category include Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained (2012), Mario Van Peebles’ Posse (1993), and Jean-Claude La Marre’s Gang of Roses (2003).
The black western will be a directorial debut for Samuels, who came to fame for his music persona as Bullitts. Samuels and Jay-Z collaborated before on The Great Gatsby soundtrack.
Lawrence Bender, G. Mac Brown, James Lassiter, Jeymes Samuel and Jay-Z are producers on the film. Jeymes Samuel and Boaz Yakin penned the script.
The Harder They Fall is slated for release on New Year’s Day, 2020.
