It’s been ten years in the making, but Baz Luhrmann’s tale of the 70s hip hop surge on the streets of South Bronx has a new trailer.
The Get Down is the director’s first venture into television, having made his name as the filmmaker behind Romeo + Juliet and The Great Gatsby. Styled appropriately for the time and joining the cast list are Jaden Smith, Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad), Shameik Moore (Dope) and Jimmy Smits. The show includes an original track by executive producer Nas, who Luhrmann has called a major “creative force”.
New York is shown on the brink of change, as hip hop, disco and punk push for new space in a broken Big Apple. The guys navigate gang rivalry, sex and social transformation with music as their shining light. “That’s how we’re gonna go down – do or die,” runs the clip’s only line of dialogue. Herizen Guardiola also makes an appearance as a girl with dreams of becoming the next queen of disco, despite her religious family’s wishes.
The 13-part musical drama premieres on Netflix this August, so while we wait, let’s hope that what we’ll be confronted with is Luhrmann’s thoughtful, true portrayal of an era and genre-defining time.
