Open Road Films has released a teaser trailer for the Sundance coming-of-age drama Dope, written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa (The Wood). The film follows high-school geek and hip-hop musician Malcolm (Shameik Moore) and his friends Nakia (Zoe Kravitz) and Jib (Tony Revolori) living in a dangerous part of Inglewood, CA called “The Bottoms.”
Famuyiwa has explored life growing up in Inglewood before, particularly in his 1999 coming-of-age comedy The Wood, which followed three friends growing up in Inglewood during the 1980s.
Based on the trailer (below) it looks like the movie will draw heavily from the hip-hop and video game influences that are a big part of Malcolm’s life. Previous movies like Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World and Wreck-It Ralph have used video games to varying degrees. The upcoming comedy adventure, Pixels, does the same.
Dope could be a breakout movie for its star, Moore, whose most notable role to date was in the musical Joyful Noise. He’s also been featured in the television series Incredible Crew. This is also a big role for Revolori, who, coming off of The Grand Budapest Hotel, has a number of upcoming projects, including the comedy Table 19 and the drama Low Riders.
Dope will hit theaters June 19.