They Cloned Tyrone - Everything You Need To Know

Lately, there's been a long-overdue explosion of Black representation in movies, both in front of and behind the camera. From "Black Panther" to "Get Out" to "The Woman King," the 2010s and 2020s have seen a slew of instantly iconic films that told new stories in ways we've never seen before.

One of the production companies responsible for this is Macro Productions. Founded in 2015 by Charles D. King, the company's goal is to "[represent] the voice and perspectives of Black people and persons of color." In that time, Macro has delivered hits like the gut-wrenching "Fences," the courtroom drama "Just Mercy," the Oscar-winning political drama "Judas and the Black Messiah," and the absolutely bonkers satire "Sorry to Bother You."

Now, they've got another project in the works — a wild sci-fi action comedy titled "They Cloned Tyrone." Starring A-list names and featuring some incredible costume design and an insane story, we're pretty psyched about this upcoming flick. If you want to know more about what you can expect from this strange genre mash-up, read on for everything you need to know about "They Cloned Tyrone." 

If you're in the mood for some sci-fi weirdness or wanted to celebrate the career of beloved star Jamie Foxx — don't worry. "They Cloned Tyrone" is almost here. The film is scheduled to hit Netflix on July 21, 2023. That's a huge day for cinephiles. In addition to the Netflix film, theater-goers will get to see both Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" and Greta Gerwig's "Barbie." July will also play host to huge titles like Disney's "Haunted Mansion," the latest "Mission: Impossible" movie, and "Insidious: The Red Door." 

In other words, "They Cloned Tyrone" will have a ton of competition when it comes to capturing hearts and grabbing eyeballs. However, we can safely say that the sci-fi film looks to be the craziest adventure of the bunch, so if you're in the mood for over-the-top action with some Blaxploitation style, then "They Cloned Tyrone" demands your attention.

Well, the title is pretty much a giveaway, but we're still doing this.

Speaking with Empire, director Juel Taylor described "They Cloned Tyrone" as "if 'The Truman Show' drank a bottle of vodka, what would the outcome be?" He also pointed to other eclectic titles like "They Live," "It Follows," "Groundhog Day," and believe it or not, "Napoleon Dynamite" as influences for his film. That's a wide collection of titles to be drawing inspiration from, but what's the actual plot, you ask? 

If you want a really broad overview, the film's synopsis reads, "A series of eerie events thrusts an unlikely trio onto the trail of a nefarious government conspiracy in this pulpy mystery caper." If you want a slightly more spoiler-filled synopsis — if you don't, stop reading – the story begins with Fontaine, a local drug dealer. At the beginning of the film, he's shot and killed. The next morning, however, he wakes up in his own bed completely unharmed. 

Confused and more than a little freaked out, Fontaine enlists the help of his friends, sex worker Yo-Yo and pimp Slick Charles, to investigate the matter. This leads them to an underground facility where they discover a sinister multinational corporation has been performing medical experiments on the local Black population. Initially, Fontaine is distraught to realize that he's a clone, but soon, he finds the strength to rise up and fight back against the corporation with the help of his friends.

John Boyega, aka Finn from the "Star Wars" sequel trilogy, is playing the lead role of Fontaine. Brian Tyree Henry of "Atlanta" fame was originally going to play the character, but negotiations fell through. In addition to the "Star Wars" movies, Boyega is perhaps most famous for "Attack the Block," and he's recently appeared in "Breaking" and "The Woman King."

He'll be joined by Teyonah Parris, who starred in the "Candyman" remake but is perhaps best known as Monica Rambeau of "WandaVision" and "The Marvels." She'll be playing the role of Yo-Yo, one of the three friends investigating the mystery. And, of course, you can also expect to see the Oscar-winning Jamie Foxx in the role of Slick Charles. Foxx also starred in another recent Netflix film, "Project Power," and he's been the lead of countless classics, a la "Ray," "Collateral," and "Django Unchained."

As for as other major names, we know that Kiefer Sutherland will appear in the film. Sutherland is best known for the action series "24," as well as projects such as "Rabbit Hole," "Designated Survivor," and "The Last Boys." We don't know for sure who Sutherland is playing, but he seems to be a good bet for the film's big bad.

"They Cloned Tyrone" is directed by Juel Taylor. This is his first feature-length directorial credit, although he's previously directed episodes of TV shows like "Twenties" and "Boomerang." He was also a co-director on the 2017 film "Actor's Anonymous," which was adapted from a novel by James Franco.

As a writer, Taylor's big break came when he penned the screenplay for "Creed II," the 2018 sequel to the "Rocky" spinoff about the son of boxer Apollo Creed. He also got screenwriting and "story by" credit on 2021's "Space Jam: A New Legacy," the sequel to "Space Jam" that starred LeBron James.

Looking ahead, Taylor has writing credits on the upcoming sports documentary "Shooting Stars," based on a book co-written by LeBron James, and the upcoming drama feature "Young. Wild. Free." Taylor's co-writer is Tony Rettenmaier, who previously worked with Taylor on "Space Jame: A New Legacy."

The official trailer for "They Cloned Tyrone" throws us right into the middle of a massive conspiracy. As we listen to Rockwell's "Somebody's Watching Me," we see some poor soul get snatched up by a mysterious black SUV. Wanting answers for the abduction, John Boyega's Fontaine, Teyonah Parris' Yo-Yo, and Jamie Foxx's Slick Charles track the SUV down and stumble straight into an underground lab.

That's when things start getting really freaky, as Fontaine discovers a comatose doppelganger down below. Yep, it looks like this shady organization is cloning Black people, and it looks like the conspiracy ranges out even further than that, with mood-altering chemicals showing up in everything from food to hair products. Unwilling to let the conspirators get away with their shady dealings, our heroes amass their own private army and wage a war to take back their neighborhood. The result looks like an absolute blast — part comedy, part paranoid thriller, and part epic action flick.

If you're looking for a wholesome film for the whole family, "They Cloned Tyrone" probably isn't your best bet. But if you're looking for a movie jam-packed with deranged comedy, gritty sci-fi action, and incredible chemistry between three charismatic leads, well, circle that July 21 date. 

As you can probably guess based on our previous description, "They Cloned Tyrone" has earned an R-rating for "pervasive language, violence, some sexual material, and drug use." As the lead characters are a drug dealer, a sex worker, and a pimp, the sexual material and drug use makes a lot of sense. And since director Juel Taylor says he's drawing inspiration from titles like "They Live" and "It Follows," we also expect the movie to get pretty intense.