Universal Pictures has just announced that Aldis Hodge has been cast as MC Ren and Neil Brown Jr. as DJ Yella in Straight Outta Compton, the upcoming biopic that chronicles the creation of gangster rap group N.W.A.
In the mid-1980s, the streets of Compton, California, were some of the most dangerous in the country. When five young men translated their experiences growing up into brutally honest music that rebelled against abusive authority, they gave an explosive voice to a silenced generation. Following the meteoric rise and fall of N.W.A., Straight Outta Compton tells the astonishing story of how these youngsters revolutionized music and pop culture forever the moment they told the world the truth about life in the hood and ignited a cultural war.
It was previously announced that O’Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins and Jason Mitchell have been cast as Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Eazy-E, respectively.
Straight Outta Compton is directed by F. Gary Gray (Friday, Set It Off, The Italian Job). The film is produced by original N.W.A. members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, who are joined by fellow producers Matt Alvarez and Tomica Woods-Wright. Will Packer serves as executive producer of the film alongside Gray, and Scott Bernstein.
Hodge most recently was seen in the Fox Searchlight feature The East, starring opposite Alexander Skarsgård. His additional feature credits include A Good Day To Die Hard with Bruce Willis, the Coen Brothers’ The Ladykillers, and the Academy Award-winning animated family film, Happy Feet. Hodge has also been cast as a series regular on the soon-to-be seen Amazon series, “The After,” and has a recurring role on AMC’s “Turn”. He has appeared on multiple television shows including “Leverage,” “The Walking Dead,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” and “Friday Night Lights,” among others.
Neil Brown Jr., meanwhile, began his career specializing in roles on television and independent features. After landing a role as “Guillermo”, the caring leader of the Vatos on “The Walking Dead,” his career began to blossom. Neil is best known for his roles in Columbia Pictures’ Battle: Los Angeles. Universal Pictures” Fast and Furious as for his recurring role as “Clifford Danner” on “Suits.”
Straight Outta Compton will be released on August 14, 2015.
