Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is, like all of us, awaiting the release of Nia DaCosta‘s long-delayed new Candyman film later this month, which he stars in. But in the meantime he’s busy signing onto another fascinating project.
He has agreed to star in By All, a dystopian crime film in the works at Warner Bros.
Steven Caple Jr. (Creed II) will direct the action-thriller which will revolve around Donte, a man struggling to make ends meet who is forced to go on the run in a police-free world where justice is crowd-sourced.
The provocative and timely script reportedly addresses the imbalance of power in communities and how it can affect relationships and ultimately lead to a warped sense of responsibility.
Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier have written the script, which is based on their own short story. The film is being described as a cross between Collateral and The Warriors.
The project is unsurprisingly being looked at by the studio as a potential franchise-starter. That fascinating premise means the film potentially has the opportunity to mix the high and lowbrow in interesting ways, commenting on a variety of thorny sociopolitical issues while also being an entertaining thriller.
It’s no surprise that Abdul-Mateen II is being tapped for a potential franchise, as he’s on the cusp of becoming a huge star after an impressive last few years.
He had supporting roles in Aquaman and Us, before getting a bunch of award nominations for playing Bobby Seale in Aaron Sorkin‘s The Trial Of The Chicago 7 and breaking out in HBO’s Watchmen.
Plus, not only is he starring in Candyman, but he’s also got roles in Lana Wachowski‘s untitled fourth Matrix film, George Miller‘s Fury Road prequel Furiosa, the Dwayne Johnson-produced actioner Emergency Contact, and Michael Bay‘s thriller Ambulance.
If you’re not too familiar with Abdul-Mateen II right now, expect to be once all those films arrive.
We’ll see how By All comes together. While practically every other project announced nowadays is talked about as a potential franchise starter, most rarely have the sort of timely and challenging premise this does. Hopefully Abdul-Mateen II, Caple Jr. and co. can make the most of it.
#Peace.Love.ByAll
