He's recently been linked (though not officially) with the role of DC superhero Static Shock for a new Warner Bros. TV series. But while those deals are no doubt being wrangled, Jaden Smith has lined up a turn for Baz Luhrmann. He's joining Luhrmann's musical Netflix extravaganza The Get Down.
Shawn Ryan, best known for shows like The Shield and The Unit, is teaming up with the Australian director to work on the series, which they first starting kicking around as an idea in 2013.
The show is set in grungy, gritty, 1970s New York, a much tougher place to live than the law-abiding city it is today... In the South Bronx, a crew of teenagers who have no-one else to turn to find shelter and solace in each other, as they express their own musical abilities at a time when hip-hop, punk and disco are kicking off and pulsing through the culture.
Smith will be Marcus "Dizzee" Kipling, an exceedingly good South Bronx graffiti artist. Elsewhere in the cast are newcomers Tremaine Brown Jr., Justice Smith, Shameik Moore and Skylan Brooks, and older hands Jimmy Smits, Herizen Guardiola, Yahya Abdul-Mateen and Mamoudou Athie.
“We as an audience have known Jaden since he was very young,” says Luhrmann. “Recently, [he] has been seeking diverse and challenging roles, and this is a testament to his passion to grow in the craft. In the short time he has joined our acting family, he has begun developing his The Get Down skill set, even taking lessons from the legendary graffiti artist Lady Pink of Wild Style fame, as well as steeping himself in the history and culture of the Bronx. We’re all very happy with the casting of Jaden in the role of Dizzee Kipling, and with his addition, the Kipling family cast is now complete.”
Thirteen episodes are ready for shooting, with Luhrman directing the first two and the season finale. The Get Down will appear on Netflix in all territories next year.