‘We All Die Young’: Idris Elba and Justice Smith to Star in Upcoming Rap Drama
English actor and producer Idris Elba has a long list of critically acclaimed roles under his belt. The 49-year-old also performs as a DJ on the side, creating R&B music under the name DJ Big Driis. Justice Smith has garnered attention for his roles in the Jurassic World and Pokémon Detective Pikachu films.
A recent announcement has confirmed that the two stars will be together in an upcoming drama. The film, titled We All Die Young, will center around the world of rap and hip-hop music.
‘We All Die Young’ is all about the rap world
We All Die Young is a drama that focuses on the life of a young rapper. After trying relentlessly, he is about to catch his big break. The artist is going on one of the biggest live tours that there has ever been. However, an overwhelming amount of pressure to make new music is impacting him as he is desperately at a creative loss.
“The film follows a rapper who reaches the ripe old age of 25, which in rap years if you ask any of us who participate in the culture, starts to feel like you’re entering a different era,” scripter Daveed Diggs told Deadline. “He’s had regional success but when we meet him he’s on the verge of his big crossover hit and is going to become a bonafide superstar. The life he’s leading is at odds with everything he grew up living. There is a cognitive dissonance between where you grew up and where you find yourself and you start to wonder why and how you got to this place.”
One of the main areas of focus in We All Die Young is the crisis that many young rap artists face in their careers. Many of them never see older age because of the demand and lifestyle that accompanies the industry.
“When we look at rappers, we don’t treat them like artists. We assume the telling of street stories is somehow innate and all we do is spit reality,” the Hamilton writer said. “But these people are creating art and the art of creating is really hard to do. It’s really, really hard to make a hit song and a true artistic endeavor.”
What more do we know about the film?
Starring alongside Elba and Smith in We All Die Young is Taylour Paige. Paige is known for her roles in films such as White Boy Rick, Zola, and Boogie. The film’s producers are Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, and Isaac Klausner from Temple Hill.
“We have Benny Blanco and YG and between the two of them, I couldn’t think of better people to create essentially a guaranteed hit soundtrack representing the biggest music in the world,” director Jake Schreier said. “They’ve actually done it over and over again in real life, and Benny is so good at bringing in all kinds of people to work with him in a very collaborative and open space. We think a lot of people in the music world will take part.”
CAA Media Finance and WME are handling the domestic distribution, while FilmNation handles the international side. There is no set release date yet, but production will begin in March.
