Netflix has come onboard The Kitchen, the UK dystopian thriller co-written and produced by Daniel Kaluuya.
The pic is set in London, 2044, a future where the gap between rich and poor has been stretched to its limits. All forms of social housing have been eradicated and London’s working classes have been forced to live in temporary accommodation on the outskirts of the city. The story follows Izi, a resident of who is desperately trying to find a way out and 12-year-old, Benji, who has lost his mother and is searching for a family, as they battle to survive.
Kibwe Tavares will make his feature directing debut on the project. His previous work includes winning the Sundance Special Jury Award for his animated short Robots of Brixton, while he was nominated for the Sundance Short Film Grand Jury Prize for Jonah starring Daniel Kaluuya. He also exec produced sci-fi drama Noughts & Crosses for the BBC and led the design and world building through his creative studio, Factory Fifteen.
Kane Robinson, one of the leads in Netflix’s Top Boy, will front the cast alongside newcomer Jedaiah Bannerman.
The pic will be produced by Daniel Emmerson for DMC Film (Calm With Horses), with Kaluuya for his 59% Productions banner. The screenplay was co-written by Joe Murtagh (Calm with Horses). The project was developed through the Sundance Screenwriting and Directing Lab in 2016. Theo Barrowclough will serve as a co-producer, while Conor McCaughan and Michael Fassbender will serve as executive producers for DMC.
It will shoot on location in London and Paris and release globally on Netflix in 2023.
The Kitchen becomes the latest feature to be greenlit by the new UK features team at Netflix, headed up by Fiona Lamptey.