The cult classic blaxploitation film Superfly is getting a remake from Director X. Jason Mitchell and Trevor Jackson will star in the film, according to Deadline.
The movie that tells the story of cocaine dealer Youngblood Priest trying to make his last big deal to get out of the drug game looks to be building a strong cast. Priest will be played by Grown-ish's Trevor Jackson and Mitchell will be playing his business partner Eddie. Mitchell is best known for his breakout role in Straight Outta Compton playing Eazy-E, but is also currently a cast member on Netflix's Mudbound and Showtime's The Chi.
Other big news regarding the remake is that Future will be signing on to co-produce the film and curate the soundtrack for the updated adaptation. Joel Silver will also produce. Future has some big shoes to fill. Curtis Mayfield was responsible for the music of the original 1972 film. 21 Savage is also reported to be involved with the film in some capacity, but what his exact role is not yet clear. Director X gave a preview of some members of the cast and crew of the upcoming remake via his Instagram account. The caption reads, "Big tings! Proud to announce I will be directing the remix of the '70s cult classic @SuperflyMovie with veteran film producer, Joel Silver and @Future."
"When I went back and watched the original, I was struck by how relevant the themes are,” Director X told Deadline. "The pursuit of the American Dream is eternal – everyone’s always on the hustle, because you’ve got to be… and Superfly is about pulling off the ultimate hustle to get out of the game. Our goal is to make it modern – to make a movie where the style, the art direction, the camera movements are all part of what makes the movie Superfly. With this film, my goal is to honor the lineage of an iconic title that the community has loved for decades."
Director X is best known for directing music videos for hits like Drake's "Hotline Bling" and Rihanna's "Work" featuring Drake. Most recently, he directed the official video for Miguel's 2017 single "Sky Walker" featuring Travis Scott.
A time table for the movie's release has not yet been announced.
