Yahya Abdul-Mateen II to Star in Dystopian Thriller “By All”

You’re going to be seeing a lot more of the talented Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in the future. The rising star, appearing next Nia DaCosta‘s highly-anticipated Candyman on August 27, is set to star director Steven Caple Jr.’s By All in what could end up being the beginning of a new franchise. (Caple Jr. last directed Creed II for Warner Bros. and is now working on Transformers: Rise of the Beasts for Paramount, which is set for a July 2022 release.)

The Hollywood Reporter delivered the scoop that Abdul-Mateen II has signed on to the dystopian crime thriller, being developed by Legendary Entertainment and the Gotham Group for Warner Bros., the studio where he’s starting to make a home for himself. He’s currently filming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, where he’s reprising his role as Aquaman’s nemesis Black Manta. (He prepared hard for the role, as you can see.) He’ll also be appearing in Lana Wachowski’s The Matrix 4 as well as George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road prequel Furiosa for Warners. And, he’s also set to star in the action film Emergency Contact for the studio, which is being produced by Dwayne Johnson. So yeah, the guy’s not only busy, but he’s building quite a roster there.

By All will find Abdul-Mateen II playing Donte, a man navigating a dystopian world where justice is crowd-sourced (there are no police) in the aftermath of personal tragedy and trying to find his way in the world. THR reports that what drew him to the material was its topical resonance, a thriller about power imbalances in communities and how the havoc they unleash on families.

But first up is Candyman, which has been delayed due to the pandemic, a film in which we’ll get to see the work of two rising stars, Abdul-Mateen II and DaCosta.

Featured image: Featured image: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in ‘Candyman.’ Courtesy Universal Pictuers/MGM