Will Smith and Queen Latifah are joining forces to produce a film that blends hip-hop and Shakespeare. The pair are reportedly gearing up to produce an upcoming hip-hop musical of Romeo & Juliet for Netflix, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The film will be a contemporary musical on Shakspeare’s romantic tragedy that is set in New York City. The updated rendition will portray a young waitress from Brooklyn who falls in love with an aspiring musician from a wealthy family.
Solvan “Slick” Naim will reportedly direct from a script he wrote with Dave Broome. Latifah will produce the musical through her Flavor Unit Entertainment banner. Smith will act as an executive producer under his Overbrook Entertainment, with James Lassiter and Caleeb Pinkett.
Hip-hop and Shakespeare might sound like they don’t miss, but you probably forgot that Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 Romeo + Juliet. The film, which starred a young Leonardo DiCaprio, also took a more urban, hip-hop approach.
It’s unclear when the upcoming musical will hit Netflix at this time.