Donald Glover, Caleb McLaughlin play 21 Savage in 'American Dream' biopic trailer
21 Savage released a trailer for a memoir movie chronicling his life from his upbringing, career and even his 2019 incarceration by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Childish Gambino musician Donald Glover and "Stranger Things" actor Caleb McLaughlin will play the Grammy-winning rapper in what appears to be a biopic titled "American Dream: The 21 Savage Story."
Whether or not the feature film is real or not is unclear, according to Variety, despite the trailer opening up with Lionsgate logo and ending with an "Independence Day" release date. A poster for the film featuring Savage, Glover and McLaughlin was shared on Instagram on Sunday night.
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Savage, Glover and McLaughlin for comment.
Glover directed the trailer along with his brother Stephen Glover as well as Jamal Olori, Fam Udeorji and Luis Perez, according to the video's description. Olori and Donald Glover also wrote the film.
The biopic comes as Savage released two collaborative albums since being released from captivity including 2020's "Savage Mode II" with Metro Boomin and 2022's "Her Loss" with Drake. He is nominated for five Grammy Awards ahead of Feb. 4 ceremony.
McLaughlin and Glover play young and adult 21 Savage
The trailer, which operates like a music video, teases a new song from the "Creepin'" rapper.
The video opens with a young Savage played by McLaughlin showing Savage's experience being bullied in school before he gets tattoos and enters the rap scene. Savage is seen in what looks like an interrogation room talking to McLaughlin as eventually Glover, playing his older self.
Once Glover takes center focus, he is seen in the studio with rapper-producer Metro Boomin played by "Bel-Air" star Jabari Banks. The trailer also portrays scenes of ICE officials raiding his home and him in a courtroom, as well as more blissful moments including him holding a Grammy trophy, which he earned in 2020 after winning Best Rap Song for "A Lot."
"When I first got here. They ain't even give me a name. I'm just number 21. Treated us like savages," Glover says in the studio at the very end of the trailer as Banks comes up with the rapper name.
There's also a moment when "Pokerface" star Natasha Lyonne, dressed in full royal attire knighting Glover, shots of Savage with his family and a shot of the rapper standing next to both the two leads playing him.
21 Savage is now a permanent U.S. resident
The rapper became a permanent U.S. resident in 2023 allowing him to travel overseas, including to London, where he is from.
In 2019, ICE officials arrested Savage, whose birth name is Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, in southern Georgia due to a targeted operation over his visa that expired in 2006. He spent 10 days in a detention center before being released.
In a 2019 interview with the AP, Savage said he did not know what a visa was when his mother brought him to the U.S. at age 7. He said that immigrants like him who lived in the country illegally as children should automatically become U.S. citizens, adding that the visa application process discourages many immigrants as it "hangs over your head forever."
'American Dream' cast
"American Dream: The 21 Savage Story" stars Donald Glover and Caleb McLaughlin as the rapper himself. Other cast members include:
- Natasha Lyonne
- Druski
- Gail Bean
- Chad Lindberg
- Victoria Pedretti
- Young Mazino
