The Harder They Fall Netflix - What We Know So Far
If it wasn't there already, Netflix's "The Harder They Fall" just shot to the top of everybody's "most anticipated films of 2021" lists thanks to a rousing new trailer. The stylized, Tarantino-esque Black Western looks incredibly fun and has an astonishingly stacked cast.
The movie is the feature directorial debut of Jeymes Samuel, also known as musician The Bullitts, also known as the brother of "Kiss From a Rose" singer-songwriter Seal. He wrote the script with "Now You See Me" screenwriter Boaz Yakin and composed the score. Previously, he wrote and directed another star-studded Western, "They Die By Dawn," a 51-minute film with Michael K. Williams, Giancarlo Esposito, and Rosario Dawson, among many others.
"The Harder They Fall" counts Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter as a producer. The billionaire rapper and Samuel have been collaborators for years, working together on the soundtrack for the film "The Great Gatsby" (via Billboard) and the short film "Jay-Z: Legacy." Last year, Samuel jokingly accused Jay-Z of stealing his leather backpack full of aloe vera toilet paper (via Complex). Other producers include Quentin Tarantino's former producer Lawrence Bender and Will Smith's business partner James Lassiter, along with Samuel himself.
In spite of its title, "The Harder They Fall" is not a sequel to the classic Jamaican crime film "The Harder They Come." Here's what we know so far about the highly anticipated Netflix movie.
What's The Harder They Fall's release date?
No release date has been set for "The Harder They Fall" beyond generally "fall 2021," according to Netflix's official Twitter account.
The film was announced in the summer of 2019 (via Deadline). It was originally slated to start filming in March 2020, but production was postponed due to the pandemic. "Harriet" star Cynthia Erivo was originally slated to be in the cast, but she had to drop out due to pandemic-related scheduling issues, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It was filmed in New Mexico last fall and had to take a break at one point when an actor tested positive for COVID-19, according to Deadline.
Other star-studded Netflix movies coming out later this year with release dates to be determined include the action thriller "Red Notice" with Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds; environmentalist dark comedy "Don't Look Up" with Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio; and sci-fi mind-bender "Escape from Spiderhead" with Chris Hemsworth, Miles Teller, and Jurnee Smollett.
The Harder They Fall has an incredible cast
The all-Black main cast of "The Harder They Fall" is stacked with talent, who are for the most part playing fictionalized versions of real Old West historical figures. "Lovecraft Country" star Jonathan Majors stars as Nat Love, a legendary Black cowboy. His nemesis, Rufus Buck, is played by Idris Elba. Oscar winner and "Watchmen" star Regina King is Trudy Smith, an outlaw who breaks Buck out of prison. Oscar nominee LaKeith Stanfield plays Cherokee Bill.
Delroy Lindo – who should have been nominated for an Oscar for his performance in "Da 5 Bloods" last year — will play U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves, who was also prominently featured in "Watchmen." "Atlanta" and "Joker" star Zazie Beetz will play Stagecoach Mary, a legendary mail carrier.
Rounding out the cast are "StartUp" star Edi Gathegi as cowboy icon Bill Pickett, "Watchmen" actress Danielle Deadwyler as Cuffee, "Power Rangers" star R.J. Cuyler as Jim Beckwourth, "Black-ish" breakout Deon Cole as Wylie Escoe, and "New Girl" scene-stealer Damon Wayans Jr. in an as-yet-undisclosed role.
The Harder They Fall has a revenge plot
"The Harder They Fall" has a classic Western plot about a young man trying to get revenge on the man who killed his parents, though Jeymes Samuel is surely putting his own idiosyncratic spin on it.
Here's Netflix's official synopsis: "When outlaw Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) discovers that his enemy Rufus Buck (Idris Elba) is being released from prison he rounds up his gang to track Rufus down and seek revenge. Those riding with him in this assured, righteously new school Western include his former love Stagecoach Mary (Zazie Beetz), his right and left hand men — hot-tempered Bill Pickett (Edi Gathegi) and fast drawing Jim Beckwourth (R.J. Cyler) — and a surprising adversary-turned-ally. Rufus Buck has his own fearsome crew, including 'Treacherous' Trudy Smith (Regina King) and Cherokee Bill (LaKeith Stanfield), and they are not a group that knows how to lose."
"The Harder They Fall" is coming to Netflix and select theaters this fall.