This Miami filmmaker made an animated boxing drama — starring roosters
The protagonist of 'Pollo Punch,' a short film directed by Cuban-American Miami native Alec Castillo, probably didn't need to seek inspiration from Sylvester Stallone's iconic character because Cuba has produced so many great boxers of its own. But his short film combines all the elements of a 'Rocky' film with Castillo's own roots.
'Pollo Punch' is 'basically a boxing drama with roosters,' said Castillo about the short film he presented in March at the Miami Film Festival, and that later won the Best International Animated Short Film award at the Puerto Rico Film Festival.
But 'Pollo Punch' is much more; it's funny, clever, tender, and quintessentially Cuban without letting that detail overshadow it. A rooster wearing a Cuban link gold chain around his neck? Well, that's a strong start.
'Pollo Punch' is also a nostalgic and loving look at the rapidly changing Miami — where your childhood haunts, like the diner you went to after school, the bowling alley and the skating rink are disappearing.
'Seeing how the city changed rapidly in recent years, I wanted to do something that reflected the people and places where I grew up,' said Castillo, who is now based in Los Angeles.
'Whether it's an older generation speaking in a specific way that starts disappearing or a street corner being demolished to build a luxury condominium tower, much of old Miami has begun to fade away with the city's transformation,' he said.
'While I can't shoot a period live-action film in the Miami of the '70s and '80s, I can definitely animate it. With animation, I can preserve those aspects of old Miami to endure in this film,' says Castillo.
Castillo is proud of the team he assembled for the project.
Comedian Mike Menendez is the voice of Yunián, whose name is a product of the Cuban Generation Y.
Yolanda, Yunián's hen wife, is voiced by actress Jenny Lorenzo, known for her role as the Cuban abuela, which she has popularized on social media. Lorenzo, from Kendall, also lives in Los Angeles, where she develops her career as a voice actress.
El Flaco, Yunián's owner, is a humble Cuban exile trying to establish himself in a new city. 'He lives on cigarettes and Vienna sausages,' Castillo points out. He's voiced by Chris García, a comedian, actor and writer known for his work in 'Minx' (HBO) and the sitcom 'Mr. Iglesias' (Netflix) with comedian Gabriel Iglesias.
Chris De La Guardia was the art director for the film.
'I met Chris while taking an art history class at Miami-Dade College, and he's a brilliant artist. Once I secured funding for the film, I knew I had to have him because his visual touch is electrifying,' said Castillo.
'Being away from home for the first time, working on this film daily, and watching the Marlins lose on TV became a helpful way to feel closer to home in a new city. It was crucial for this film to be something that people could watch when they felt a bit nostalgic and wanted to remember Miami,' said Castillo.
Funding the short was a challenge, Castillo acknowledged, while offering hope to young people following these paths. 'If you have the right idea, someone will want to support it.'
In his case, he got support from LatinXinAnimation, the Latino Film Institute, the Netflix Spark Animation Grant, as well as local organizations like ArtesMiami, Oolite Arts, and some private donors.
'It was crucial to gather so many talented artists and pay them for their incredible work,' he said.
'Currently, Miami just doesn't have a sustainable film industry. Many major productions want to tell stories about Miami characters; however, the current tax incentives make it difficult for them to shoot those films in South Florida,' he said, acknowledging it did offer him more opportunities to study.
'Growing up and living in Miami during my college years was undoubtedly a key factor in producing a lot of work that helped me find my creative voice,' he said, offering some examples of how it benefited him.
'As an emerging filmmaker, if you're in Miami, you'll have much more access to local tools and resources than if you were in New York or Los Angeles. It'll be much easier to shoot in a Kendall restaurant than one in Pasadena,' he noted.
Castillo, 27, concluded with tips for young people who want to become filmmakers
'In the beginning, I made the mistake of trying to be too ambitious too soon,' he acknowledged. 'Start small and work your way up! The smaller the failures, the faster you can achieve great things.'
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Tom's Guide
2 minutes ago
- Tom's Guide
This gripping Western movie you (probably) haven't seen just landed on Netflix — and I'm still thinking about it
After combing through Netflix's lineup for the week, I noticed 'Broke' was being added today (August 21), a Western drama that went straight to digital back in May without even a limited theatrical release. That's likely why it didn't gain much traction, and it's a movie I certainly hadn't heard of. Now that 'Broke' is streaming on U.S. Netflix, I hope it attracts more attention given the platform's huge audience. After watching it myself, I'd rate it as a very compelling, moving and suspenseful drama, featuring Wyatt Russell in one of his best roles to date. It also tells an important story about resilience when life doesn't go according to plan. There's a lot to like in this compact story, including its interwoven timelines and somber soundtrack that somehow complements a narrative both sad and uplifting. It follows a bareback bronc rider as he battles a sudden blizzard, reflecting on his past and the choices that brought him to this critical point. If you're looking for something different to stream this week, here's why 'Broke' is worth adding to your Netflix watchlist. 'Broke' follows True Brandywine (Wyatt Russell), a bareback bronc rider struggling to maintain his rodeo career. When a sudden spring blizzard traps him in the Wyoming wilderness, True must navigate the harsh elements to survive. The movie unfolds through a series of flashbacks, revealing his past decisions and relationships, including his bond with his father, George Brandywine (Dennis Quaid), and his evolving relationship with his loving partner, Ali (Auden Thornton). As the storm intensifies, True's physical and mental endurance is pushed to the limit, forcing him to confront the choices that have brought him to this critical juncture. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. 'Broke' starts off with the protagonist in his main predicament: waking up in a blizzard, confused about how he got there, with signs of hyperthermia already setting in when he discovers his sock half off. The situation feels instantly tense because, even though we haven't met the character yet, you can already sympathize with him. The next few minutes remain tense as he stumbles through the snow, seeking shelter and warmth, and you might think the movie will play out as a survival thriller. But within the first ten minutes, we're treated to the first flashback of him during his motivational rodeo days before subsequent flashbacks throughout the story depict his downfall and hardships. This narrative structure is incredibly effective, keeping you curious to see more flashbacks of how he ended up in this situation. These memories almost come in waves alongside True's revealed brain injury, like pulsating migraines that taunt him with his 'failures' and the mistakes of pushing loved ones away when it got too hard. Russell is very much the center of this story. At times, you really feel for his character; at others, you find yourself disliking his actions. Yet his ability to convey determination, genuine happiness and regret keeps you invested in how his story unfolds, and the realness almost makes it feel like a true story. Although their screen time is somewhat limited, Quaid and Thornton also contribute to the story's message about keeping the people you care about close, especially during difficult times. This marks Carlyle Eubank's first proper outing as a director, and he shows real promise as a storyteller in the indie drama space. While his past work has leaned more toward action, here he demonstrates a strong instinct for exploring human experiences. These kinds of character-driven movies may not always grab headlines, but they're essential for grounding cinema in the lives and emotions of everyday people. 'Broke' may not be a staple in the Western genre, but it shows Russell's ability to carry a movie on his own. Even while taking on bigger, more high-profile projects like the recent Marvel project 'Thunderbolts,' Russell clearly demonstrates a knack for tackling emotionally layered roles like this one. Eubank ambles down a freshly laid road to tap into contemporary career worries while showing an affinity for the Western environment and sympathy for the people in it. And that's good enough to keep us engaged for much more than the tense blizzard scenes or dangerous bronc riding. For those seeking something a little more intense, stream these dark thriller movies on Netflix to get your adrenaline pumping. Stream 'Broke' on Netflix now. Follow Tom's Guide on Google News to get our up-to-date news, how-tos, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.
Time Magazine
33 minutes ago
- Time Magazine
How KPop Demon Hunters Conquered the World
Like the best idol groups, KPop Demon Hunters isn't good at just one thing. In K-pop, songs can and do exist on their own, but they are meant to be part of a bigger performance that incorporates visuals, dance, fashion, personality, and an aesthetic concept into one story spectacle. In many ways, it's a lot like filmmaking. 'As people who work in animation and storytelling, we're trained to layer things on and and create something as entertaining as possible,' co-director Maggie Kang tells TIME of how KPop Demon Hunters came to be the summer's biggest hit. The animated children's film about a K-pop girl group that moonlights as a team of demon hunters blends comedy, action, music, and a dash of supernatural horror for a film that is as emotionally rewarding as it is rewatchable. It's been more than two months since KPop Demon Hunters' unassuming debut on Netflix, and the movie's success is showing no signs of slowing. At the time of this writing, it is one track to be the streamer's most-watched film ever (with over 230.9 million views), and two of the soundtrack's original songs are in the Billboard Hot 100's Top Ten. 'Golden,' the movie's most popular track, is currently the most streamed song in the United States. Three of the movie's songs have made it into the Billboard Hot 100's Top Ten, marking the first time since 1995's Waiting to Exhale that a film soundtrack has done this. For Kang, the pop culture phenomenon started with a simple yet deep desire to 'see something culturally set in Korea and to really embrace that,' something the Korean Canadian filmmaker hadn't seen in Western animation. In KPop Demon Hunters, cultural detail is infused into every scene's setting—from the ignored 'parking prohibited' markings on the Seoul streets to the way main characters Rumi, Mira, and Zoey place napkins under their chopsticks while eating out. 'Everything was seen through this Korean lens: The characters are going to eat at a restaurant, it's just a conversation around food at the dinner table, but what is the food that's on the table? What does the background look like? Does it feel like Korea? Everything was designed to honor authenticity of the Korean culture.' Also, demons—more specifically, the gat-wearing, hanbok-donning jeoseung saja, a kind of grim reaper tasked with guiding the dead to the afterlife in Korean mythology. In the world of KPop Demon Hunters, the jeoseung saja are the demons that K-pop girl groups, and female shamans before them, have worked to keep at bay for generations. Rumi, Zoey, and Mira use song, dance, and weapons to slay the demons and reinforce the honmoon, a magical barrier between the world of demons and the world of humans. 'They terrorized me as a kid,' Kang says of the jeoseung saja. The figures didn't necessarily seem like the best element for a children's film. Then, her future niece—four years old at the time—saw Maleficent in theaters. 'She told me how scary it was to her, and I was like, 'Oh, I'm sorry you were scared.' And she said, 'No, no, I really liked it.' So I realized, 'Oh, there is this entertainment value to children being scared.'' K-pop came later, as Kang continued to search for ways to infuse the concept with more aspects of Korean culture. 'K-pop brought spectacle and scale, all the pizzazz that is kind of needed to sell it. It all came together.' Finding a co-director Like most animated features (and, sometimes, K-pop), KPop Demon Hunters is the result of hundreds of people working together to create one story. Kang had previously worked on major animated films like The LEGO Ninjango Movie, Rise of the Guardians, and Puss in Boots, but KPop Demon Hunters was to be her first feature film. Sony Animation President Kristine Belson suggested she find a co-director to help shoulder the immense workload. (KPop Demon Hunters was produced at Sony Pictures Animation, but greenlit by and distributed by Netflix.) Kang wanted to work with another Asian woman, but when the search didn't work out, turned to Belson for suggestions. 'Kristine was basically like, 'Look, I'm sorry, but I think it's gonna be a white man.'' That turned out to be Appelhans, who previously made his directorial debut with 2021's Wish Dragon, a Chinese-set animated fantasy comedy about a college student who meets a wish-granting dragon. 'When [Chris] made Wish Dragon, he traveled to and lived in China to make it with a Chinese crew,' says Kang. 'I think that really shows how dedicated he is about respecting a culture and knowing the importance of embracing the talent that brings you that authenticity.' Appelhans, who was coming off of Wish Dragon's long production, wasn't looking to take on another multi-year-long project. 'I met with Maggie, and I was really tired, and I was like, 'I'm gonna take a long break,'' he says. 'And then she was about 10 minutes into explaining this concept, and I was playing it cool on the surface, but inside, I'm like, 'Oh no, you can't take a break. You have to keep going now. This is one of those things that is worth four years of your life.'' For Appelhans, who grew up as a musician, KPop Demon Hunters represented a chance to bring two of his great loves together. 'I always wanted to make an animated film that was very music-centered, but not in a conventional sort of Disney, sing-your-feelings way,' he says. The two collaborators set about figuring out what demon-hunting and K-pop have in common. 'In trying to answer that question, we were taking inspiration from BTS during the pandemic, who were literally a light in a dark time,' Appelhans says. 'And it just started to build momentum.' Music as more than background In KPop Demon Hunters, music isn't just a fun soundtrack for fights or dance sequences; it is integral to the story. Most of the songs are singles released within the world by HUNTR/X and Saja Boys, though some songs, such as 'Free,' exist solely to reveal character emotions and connection, and not as part of an in-universe idol discography. In a supernaturally heightened version of the way music can impact listeners in the real world, all of the film's music holds the power to influence its in-world listeners. The Saja Boys use their musical power to steal souls, while HUNTR/X uses their songs to seal the honmoon. 'The story invited music to be a part of it in such a unique way,' says Appelhans. 'It was genuine pop music, rather than musical theater and putting some pop sounds on top of it. It demanded all of these ways in which the music needed to reveal character and reveal plot.' Ian Eisendrath, the executive music producer on KPop Demon Hunters, was in charge of coordinating all things music. While he had never worked on an animated film previously, his background includes Olivier-winning and Grammy-nominated work as diverse as Broadway musical Come From Away, Disney's live-action Snow White, and Hulu's Only Murders in the Building. On KPop Demon Hunters, he did everything from conducting and arranging to music and vocal producing. 'I think of my job as the integrity of the music from the second the film starts to the second the film is over,' he says. He brought on some of the K-pop industry's biggest hitmakers, including producers at The Black Label and the writers behind BTS songs like 'Boy with Luv' and 'Butter,' to help craft an authentic K-pop sound. Other chief collaborators included EJAE, the Korean-American songwriter behind girl group tracks like aespa's 'Drama' and Red Velvet's 'Psycho.' As one of the main songwriters, she was paired with Mark Sonnenblick, an Emmy-nominated writer more familiar with writing for TV and film. '[EJAE] was a North Star for us throughout the process,' says Eisendrath of EJAE's role in the film, calling her his 'closest collaborator' on the music side of things and adding that she wrote the vocal melody and co-wrote the lyrics and arrangements for four of the songs. Though EJAE was coming from a songwriting background within the K-pop industry, she quickly got on board with the narrative-forward needs of the project. 'When writing songs for KPop Demon Hunters, the storyline was everything,' explains EJAE. 'Every sonic and lyrical choice had to align with the scene's emotions and what the characters were experiencing. Our job was to move the narrative forward while still delivering a track that structurally and sonically hit like a true K-pop banger.' EJAE contrasts it with the work of writing a song for a K-pop group: 'The focus shifts to matching the group's persona, crafting a catchy hook, and building a concept that resonates with a wide audience,' she tells TIME via email. 'The key similarity between the two was the maximalist approach—whether for the film or for a real group, both worlds rely heavily on intricate layering in the vocal production to create that rich, dynamic K-pop sound.' Eisendrath breaks down just how much each song had to do within the story, all while also working as a banger of a pop song: ''How It's Done' starts as more of a story song in the plane, but then we just have to full-on deliver concert. But it wasn't enough to just deliver 'concert.' We needed to establish our three heroes. And so if you really listen closely, when they each have their own solo moments on stage, they're absolutely singing about who they are and establishing their individual vibe and role within [HUNTR/X].' 'Soda Pop,' the fizzy track that introduces demon boy band Saja Boys to the public, has a similar story weight. For it, the music team had to produce a song that was catchy enough to lure fans in, introduced the various members, and hinted at their darker motivations—all at the same time. 'At first glance, it just seems like, 'Oh, this is fun, innocent: You're my soda pop,'' explains Eisendrath. 'But then it starts talking about how much I need you and I need to drink you up, and it becomes parasitical.' From the beginning, Eisendrath dreamed of using the animation space to push the limits on the established theatricality of K-pop. 'We went big,' he says. 'Not only did we do everything that one would do on a K-pop album, we also had a giant group of singers that sang all the backgrounds. We had a string section record on top of all the K-pop tracks, and we were able to really design the sound of the theatrical mix, which not many people experience. It really feels like this deep, fully immersive experience.' (Fans will be able to experience the theatrical mix in KPop Demon Hunters sing-along screenings scheduled for August 23 and 24.) Finding the voice of Rumi KPop Demon Hunters has an impressive cast across speaking and singing roles, but protagonist Rumi's voice is the heart of the film. Her story as a demon-hunter who is hiding her half-demon side grounds the thematic strength of the narrative. 'We knew we wanted to tell a story about shame, and we felt like the themes of shame were not really tackled in animation,' says Kang. 'It does feel like kind of an older-skewing theme, and it's dark. It's not a happy theme.' Korean American actress Arden Cho imbues Rumi with heart, humor, and complexity in the character's speaking moments, but it is EJAE who took on the technically and emotionally demanding role of providing the idol's singing voice. As Rumi reveals her truth through music, it is arguably the most important performance in the entire project. 'Rumi is incredibly complex,' says EJAE. 'She has strong leadership skills and works tirelessly. The great thing about that is she gets things done and does them successfully, but the downside is she puts a lot of pressure on herself and is a perfectionist. She tries to solve everything on her own and rarely reveals her flaws or weaknesses.' Like many of the creators who crafted the world of KPop Demon Hunters, EJAE brought her personal experience and unique perspective to the production. 'I can relate to that because I was a K-pop trainee from the age of 11 for over a decade before eventually being dropped,' she tells TIME. 'During that time, I had to put my best foot forward constantly and felt the pressure to always be perfect. I understood that overwhelming urge to hide your flaws and the things you feel ashamed of, and how exhausting it is to maintain a façade of being okay instead of asking for help.' EJAE drew on those experiences to bring out the emotions in Rumi's vocals. EJAE came onto the project solely as a songwriter, providing the demo vocals for all of the songs since day one. It was only later in the production process that she was officially asked to be the singing voice of Rumi. 'In the past, she has not self-identified as a singer,' says Eisendrath. 'And I just kept saying, 'EJAE, your voice is unlike anything I've ever heard before. You might not want to do this, but get ready to see what's gonna happen.' Eisendrath calls EJAE's register 'bonkers,' noting that she is able to hit 'some of the lowest notes available to the female vocalist' while also hitting 'notes higher than I would say are probably in any [other] film.' He adds: 'What she does in 'Golden' is insane … I said to Spring [Aspers], who is president of music at Sony, 'Get ready for everyone to try to sing these songs and not be able to. They were tailored for EJAE's freakish vocal abilities.'' When asked about what she is most proud of in KPop Demon Hunters, EJAE points to the songs 'Golden' and 'Hunter's Mantra.' 'The melody for Golden came to me incredibly quickly, and through writing it, I actually discovered my vocal range. I'm both terrified and proud of the A5 I hit in that song, it was a self-discovering moment for me,' says EJAE. As for 'Hunter's Mantra,' the song that opens the film, EJAE leaned into pansori, a traditional Korean singing style and genre. 'I studied its melodies and vocal techniques, but added my own unique twist when writing and performing it.' Eisendrath logged over 50 hours with EJAE in the recording booth during the production process, recording Rumi's songs. 'There's a darkness [to EJAE's voice],' he says. 'There is a weight to it and a depth to it that is so emotional and appealing.' Trusting the universal in the culturally specific Though the success of KPop Demon Hunters has been led by children, the animated film stands out as a rare cross-demographic hit in a streaming era when audiences have become increasingly fractured across devices. The success transcends cultures, with the movie currently in the Netflix Top Ten in over 90 countries around the world. 'Regardless of the Korean setting, the message of the movie and many of the songs is universal and something everyone can relate to,' says EJAE. ''K-pop' was simply the vessel to convey a deeper truth: the importance of loving every part of yourself, both the good and the bad, and finding beauty in your flaws and mistakes. It's also about reminding people that they're not alone, and that it's okay to lean on loved ones for support instead of trying to fix everything on your own.' While the theme is universal, the details are incredibly culturally specific. KPop Demon Hunters is an American production, but it has been accepted by Korean audiences (and real-life K-pop idols), who appreciate the cultural authenticity in the film. 'There are small details that I think were remarkable,' says Hyun-woo Sun, the co-founder of popular Korean language learning platform Talk to Me in Korean. His video, 'K-pop Demon Hunters explained by as Korean teacher,' breaks down the linguistic and cultural details in the film—from real-life locations like N Seoul Tower to the multiple meanings of 'saja' to the tiger and magpie's roots in Joseon-era folk painting. 'There are smaller elements that made a lot of Korean people go, 'Oh, they actually let the voice actors use Korean.' Or, like the doctor specifically calling Rumi by saying 'Rumi-nim.' They didn't need that, but then they included it.' When speaking to TIME, he uses the production choice of using the light green dishes common in Korea for the private jet scene as another example. 'Growing up, everybody in Korea has seen these light green dishes,' he explains. 'Even if they didn't use that design for the dishes where the kimbap is placed, it would have been fine … But just seeing that, [you think], 'You put in extra hours of work to design those dishes. The directors and producers must have had some fond memories. They must have poured a lot of their personal experiences into the story.'' KPop Demon Hunters notably doesn't go out of its way to explain the Korean cultural details that provide the film with such depth and texture. 'When you travel, you go to places and you think, like, 'Oh, this is what a mailbox looks like here. You just kind of accept it,'' says Kang. 'And I think that should be how all movies are treated.' Appelhans says he didn't worry because he had already been through similar, unwarranted concerns with Wish Dragon. 'Everybody was like, 'I don't think these people in Tempe, Arizona are going to have an interest in this very, very Chinese film,'' recalling screening the animated movie outside of a major metropolitan area. 'And then it did great, and everyone seemed surprised. Audiences are smart, and they are looking for—on top of maybe elemental story ideas—they're looking for specifics. They're looking for new flavors. And so it's a treat to figure something out, and not just have every movie set in suburban America.' The cultural specificity of the film extends to the world of K-pop, which is rooted in Kang's own decades-long history as a fan. 'She has lived the experience of what music can mean to you, what the relationship is,' says Appelhans. 'There's a specificity to moments with the fans that came from her experience.' KPop Demon Hunters takes on many elements in its 95-minute runtime, but its depiction of fandom as a powerful force—for good and evil, depending on how it is wielded—is one of its best. 'We knew the movie needed to highlight the importance of the fan and idol relationship because that relationship is unlike anything else in entertainment,' says Kang. 'There's this true give-and-take between the performer and the audience. When it's great, there's a lot of respect in that relationship. For us, having the crowd be part of the solution at the climax of the movie, and contribute to the music and to be this power source for the girls was always there.' Many viewers, of all ages, have responded to the hope in that moment. From EJAE's perspective, it's another one of the elements that has been integral to KPop Demon Hunters' enduring success as a film and soundtrack. 'Lately, in both pop and K-pop I haven't seen many songs at the top of the charts that center around hope,' she says. 'Yet I feel like we're living in a time where the world is collectively longing for it.' The song 'Golden,' she says, carries that sentiment both lyrically and sonically, offering the listeners a moment to breathe, to believe in yourself, and to dream again.' Believing in one's self Many of the best movies have a theme that is seeped into the finished text because it was part of the creation process. KPop Demon Hunters' success seems rooted in just how much Kang, Appelhans, and their team bet on themselves and one another. This is perhaps best illustrated through the comedy woven throughout the film's supernatural narrative. 'Now everybody knows how weird I am,' Kang says. As someone who came up through mainstream animation, she says comedy has always been a priority. 'I'm always, in every moment, trying to be funny. Meaning even now. And [animators] always joke, 'I wish the movies that we made are as funny as our conversations at the table.' That was always a bar, and that was always hard to hit. And I think with this movie, I didn't want to shy away from any of that, and I wanted to kind of be weird.' In one of the best comedic gags in the film, HUNTR/X maknae Zoey sees Abby, the fittest of the Saja Boys, for the first time. As he stretches, his stomach muscles reveal themselves and Zoey literally has abs in her Chibi-fied eyes. The abs shift to corns-on-the-cob, and then to popping popcorn when (in a not unprecedented K-pop scenario) a button flies off of Abby's shirt, revealing more skin. It works because it is weird and silly, but it also works because it is clever, specific, and well-executed. Though it draws from an existing animated language—and from real-life feelings that viewers may be familiar with, the moment feels novel. 'That was one of the earliest jokes we had come up with in the movie, and it set the tone for how stupid we could go with it,' says Kang, recounting how the sequence came to be. Initially, Zoey simply had abs in her eyes. Then, one of the character designers noted they looked like corn, and the team was off to the races. 'It just kind of snowballed in the room,' says Kang. 'And then I even pushed it to my husband, who is also a director and creator, and he was like, 'That's not gonna work.' And I was like, 'Yes, it is.''
Cosmopolitan
33 minutes ago
- Cosmopolitan
'A pulse-pounding watch': Black Rabbit is a twisted new thriller starring Jason Bateman & Jude Law as brothers
Jason Bateman and Jude Law will play estranged brothers in Black Rabbit, Netflix's new limited series that dives into the dark side of New York City's nightlife. Set in an exclusive downtown club, the show follows the chaotic lives of two brothers who built the scene - and are now struggling to survive it. With Ozark's Bateman and Mr. Ripley star Law at the centre, Black Rabbit is shaping up to be our ultimate autumn TV obsession. And we haven't got long to wait, with the eight-part series launching this September. Read on for everything you need to know. Black Rabbit starts on Netflix on Thursday 18th September. All eight episodes in the series will be available to stream from 8am GMT. Black Rabbit follows two estranged brothers who are running a secretive downtown club as tensions - and secrets - spiral out of control. The official synopsis reads: "Jake Friedkin (Jude Law) is the charismatic owner of Black Rabbit, a restaurant and VIP lounge, poised to become the hottest spot in New York. But when his brother, Vince (Jason Bateman), returns to the business unexpectedly, trouble soon follows; opening the door to old traumas and new dangers that threaten to bring down everything they've built. Black Rabbit is a propulsive thrill ride and character examination about the way an unbreakable bond between two brothers can shatter their world and everything in its orbit." "It's a very interesting world," Law - who, alongside Bateman and creators Zach Baylin and Kate Susman, executive produced Black Rabbit — told Tudum. "At the heart, I hope [audiences] are hooked by the complicated, loving, volatile relationship of these two brothers." Bateman, who directed the first two episodes, added: "It's really about these brothers who love each other but don't match - one's a screw-up, and the other is much more buttoned up. Everybody can relate to that. Everybody's either got a sibling, or a friendship where you love being with one another, but it's kind of dangerous; where that person usually gets you in trouble, but they're really exciting to be around." Black Rabbit starts on Netflix on 18th September.
