“The Office” and “13 Hours” star John Krasinski has joined Kathryn Bigelow‘s upcoming untitled drama about the 1967 Detroit riots.
The film is currently in production and also features John Boyega, Will Poulter, Jacob Latimore, Algee Smith, Ben O’Toole, Jack Reynor, Kaitlyn Dever, Jason Mitchell and Hannah Murray. It will follow the five-day riots that swept the Motor City in 1967 and explore issues of systemic racism in the city.
Mark Boal, who worked with Bigelow on “Zero Dark Thirty” and “The Hurt Locker,” wrote the script. Bigelow is producing the movie alongside Boal, Annapurna’s Megan Ellison and Matthew Budman, and Colin Wilson. Greg Shapiro is the executive producer.
No studio is attached to the Detroit project yet, but it is planned for a 2017 release — the 50th anniversary of the riots.
Krasinski made his name playing Jim Halpert on NBC’s long-running series “The Office.” His most recent appearance came in Sony’s “The Hollars,” which hit theaters late last month, and which Krasinski also directed. He is also set to star as iconic Tom Clancy character Jack Ryan in an eponymous 10-episode Amazon series.
Krasinski’s other credits include “Promised Land,” “Monster’s University,” “It’s Complicated” and “Away We Go.” He is represented by WME.