In 1972, the blaxploitation film Superfly made a stamp forever. Ron O’Neal’s portrayal of Youngblood Priest was iconic, and the soundtrack, written and produced by Curtis Mayfield, was even more legendary. And now, it appears that Director X and Future are hoping to recapture the magic from the 70s.
Director X – known for directing music videos for everyone from Usher and Kanye West to Jay-Z, Justin Bieber, and Drake – announced on Tuesday (Jan. 16), via Instagram, that he was directing a remake of the classic film. Veteran producer Joel Silver, known for producing the Die Hard and Lethal Weapon series, is slated to produce the film. And Future – yes, that Future – is also involved listed as a co-producer, according to Deadline. Lex Scott Davis will portray Georgia, Andrea Londo will play Cynthia, Jacob Ming-Trent will play Fat Freddy, and Omar Chapparo will appear as Adalberto.
Director X’s Instagram photo with the announcement also includes several other noteworthy names involved with the film. Trevor Jackson (Blackish, Grownish) will portray Youngblood Priest, and Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton, The Chi) will portray a character named Eddie. 21 Savage, who is also in the photo, is slated to join the film “in some capacity.”
“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.
“I want to honor it in a way that shows a new generation how black culture continues to be a catalyst for new trends in every area, from fashion to music,” he continued. “I’m also excited to be working with Future, both on the music and as a producer of the film – the original soundtrack is legendary, and that’s an inspiration for the artists that Future is working with to bring a singular modern musical vision to the film.”
REVOLT TV will report further updates.