“The Get Down,” Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming Netflix series about Bronx teens growing up the 1970s, has cast its first four young male leads.
TJ Brown will play Boo-Boo, a mechanically minded kid who wants to get down who is an irrepressible 40-year-old in a 14-year-old body. Justice Smith plays Ezekiel, a smart, resourceful teen brimming with untapped talent and unrequited love who is determined to make his mark in this world. Shameik Moore plays Shaolin Fantastic, a child of the streets who is thrill-seeking, unpredictable, eccentric and, above all, enigmatic. Skylan Brooks plays Ra-Ra, a loyal, respected, protective friend and brother with his head screwed on tight, who’s the voice of reason beyond his years.
“The characters these young actors play in ‘The Get Down’ unwittingly become a band of brothers,” says Luhrmann. “Any great group is always made up of distinctly different characters, and the actors we are privileged enough to invite into the roles of Ezekiel, Shaolin Fantastic, Boo-Boo and Ra-Ra all have the distinction of being from such diverse backgrounds — from performing in subways in the Bronx to the music scene of Atlanta and of course Los Angeles. I know they’re collectively on the beginning of a thrilling journey with a big story to tell.”
Set in the midst of a poverty-stricken New York, the show will follow a group of South Bronx teenagers who struggle to survive while armed with only with verbal games, improvised dance steps, some magic markers and spray cans.
Luhrmann will direct the first two episodes and the season finale and serve as executive producer. The series is also executive produced by Catherine Martin, Paul Watters, Thomas Kelly, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Shawn Ryan and Marney Hochman.
The 13-episode music-driven drama from Sony Pictures Television will debut in all Netflix territories in 2016.
