‘Concrete Cowboy,’ filmed in Philly and starring Idris Elba, will come to Netflix in April

Concrete Cowboy, the movie Idris Elba filmed in Philadelphia in 2019, will premiere on Netflix on April 2, the streaming service announced Monday.

Netflix acquired the rights in October, following its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, where it received largely favorable reviews. Among the producers is West Philadelphia’s Lee Daniels (Empire, The United States vs. Billie Holiday). An adaptation of Ghetto Cowboy by G. Neri, it’s the directorial debut of Ricky Staub.

Elba stars as the estranged father of a troubled teenager (Caleb McLaughlin, Stranger Things) to whom he introduces the life of an urban cowboy. “Torn between his growing respect for his father’s community and his reemerging friendship with troubled cousin Smush (Jharrel Jerome, When They See Us), Cole begins to reprioritize his life as the stables themselves are threatened by encroaching gentrification,” Netflix said.

The film also stars Byron Bowers (The Chi), Lorraine Toussaint (The Equalizer), and Clifford “Method Man” Smith (The Deuce).

Neri’s book was inspired in part by the Strawberry Mansion-based Fletcher Street Urban Riding Club, which teaches young people in the neighborhood to ride and to care for horses.

In a recent interview with The Inquirer, Daniels called Concrete Cowboy one of the most beautiful movies ever to be filmed in the city.