Westerns have been around pretty much since movies have existed, so you’d think by now you’d have seen every possible twist on the genre except for maybe a western set on the streets of modern Philadelphia. Well, you’re about to see that, too, thanks to the upcoming film Concrete Cowboys.
Idris Elba has signed to star in the film adaptation of the Greg Neri novel Ghetto Cowboys. The film will tell the story of a boy (Stranger Things‘ Caleb McLaughlin) who is sent to live with his estranged father (Elba) in Philadelphia, where he discovers the inner city’s cowboy culture of which his dad is a part. And when the city threatens to upend that culture by taking away the family’s prized horse, it’s up to the urban cowboys to fight back against the system. The book and film were both influenced by the real-life Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club, a non-profit with a 100-year history that teaches horsemanship to mostly black youth in Philadelphia.
The film sounds like a classic western tale (though probably a non-violent one) with a unique and updated setting. Elba and McLaughlin are both fantastic, and we can’t wait to see what kind of chemistry the pair come up with on-screen. Also, we’re going to go out on a limb and say that there is a 100 percent chance that Lil’ Nas X’s “Old Town Road” makes an appearance on the Concrete Cowboy soundtrack.
