Pop Smoke to make posthumous acting debut in 2021 film ‘Boogie’
Pop Smoke had the opportunity to film his first movie role before his untimely death.
Before Pop Smoke’s untimely death, he was working hard to make a name for himself. While many are aware of his musical prowess, the Canarsie rapper’s acting chops will soon be displayed as he will make his posthumous debut in a 2021 film titled Boogie.
As Deadline reported, the movie is a “coming-of-age story” centered on the life of Alfred “Boogie” Chin, an aspiring NBA player from Queens, New York who attempts to juggle a girlfriend, on-court rivals and the burden of expectation while striving to earn a scholarship to a prestigious college.
The “Dior” rapper — who stars in the film alongside actors Taylor Takahashi, Taylour Paige, Pamelyn Chee, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Alexa Mareka, Mike Moh and Perry Yung — will play the role of Monk, one of Boogie’s basketball rivals, according to The New York Times.
New music from the late emcee will also be featured on the movie’s soundtrack, which will be released under Republic Records and Victor Victor Worldwide, his manager Steven Victor’s record label.
Boogie marks the directorial debut of Eddie Huang, the author of Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir — the book that inspired the ABC television series of the same name. During an interview with The Times, the director — who also wrote the screenplay for the movie — recalled his experience working with Pop, who he described as “an old soul.”
“He gave me a thousand percent. They were tough 16-hour days, overnights, and he shot five overnights in a row,” Huang said. “Kids were coming on the bridge to watch us shoot the scenes. We would play Pop’s record. All our actors, the extras, the kids on the bridge watching us shoot scenes, everyone was doing the Woo dance. It was pretty special.”
Boogie — a Focus Features film — is set to release on March 5, 2021. It will be produced by Josh Bratman of Immersive Pictures, Josh McLaughlin of Wink Productions and Michael Tadross. Rafael Martinez serves as the film’s executive producer.