THE FORCE AWAKENS Star John Boyega Joins Kathryn Bigelow's Detroit Riots Film

I've been anxiously awaiting Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow's follow-up to 2012's excellent Zero Dark Thirty, and after months of her appearing on fan lists of ideal candidates to direct a superhero movie, it appears she's finally settled on her next project: an untitled drama written by The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty scribe Mark Boal detailing the Detroit riots of 1967. That sounds great by itself, but there's even better news: Star Wars: The Force Awakens star John Boyega has been cast in the lead role. The actor made the announcement on Instagram:

I've teamed up with Kathryn Bigelow for a movie based on the Detroit riots in 1967. Kathryn's talent is undeniable and I'm really looking forward to collaborating with her on such an important story.

A photo posted by BOYEGA (@jboyega_) on Jun 21, 2016 at 11:46am PDT

Further details about the movie are scarce at this point, but it tracks the five-day riot that broke out in the city in 1967 that resulted in 43 deaths, almost 1,200 injuries, over 7,000 arrests, and over 2,000 buildings being destroyed. The subject matter is sadly still relevant in the aftermath of the events of Ferguson and the fallout from those riots, and Bigelow's movie is aiming for a 2017 release.