Idris Elba Returns To Netflix With ‘Concrete Cowboy’

Author G. Neri’s novel Ghetto Cowboy is reimagined for Netflix’s new film, Concrete Cowboy. 

First-time filmmaker Ricky Staub premiered the flick at the Toronto International Film Festival back in September 2020. The drama will now make its Netflix debut on April 2, starring 19-year-old actor Caleb McLaughlin along with 48-year-old Idris Elba who plays his estranged father. Byron Bowers, Lorraine Toussaint, and Clifford “Method Man” Smith are also included as cast. 

RELATED: NAACP Image Awards: 10 Times Idris Elba Brought That Smoke To A Role

In the aftermath of his suspension from a Detroit school, 15-year-old Cole (McLaughlin) is sent to live with his dad, Harp (Elba), in Philadelphia. Harp’s peace is found in the rehabilitation of horses for inner-city cowboys at the Fletcher Street Stables. For more than 100 years, this “real-life Black urban horsemanship community” has provided safe quarters for local residents.

Cole’s life begins to change once his respect level grows for his new neighborhood and a friendship with a troubled cousin (Jharrel Jerome) comes back into play, causing Cole to feel conflicted. Cole must choose between street life and helping to push back against the  gentrification affecting the stables and  the entire community. 

Take a look at the trailer for Concrete Cowboy below: 

“The history here is deep,” Harp says in the trailer. “It’s like the wild, wild west out here.” 

Cole isn’t quick to adjust, startled when he first arrived at his father’s house and saw a horse in the middle of the living room. 

In the trailer, Cole and Harp have trouble mending their broken relationship, as an argument results in Cole saying, “You ain’t my father… I mean, you a father to everyone else out here.” 

Dan Walser co-wrote the screenplay with Staub. Producers included Elba, Lee Daniels, Tucker Tooley, Jeff G. Waxman, and Jennifier Madeloff.