Common has announced that he’ll be starring in an exciting new Apple TV+ series called Silo, the trailer for which dropped on Tuesday (March 7).
The Chicago rap legend — whose acting credits include Smokin’ Aces, Street Kings, American Gangster, Wanted, Terminator Salvation, Date Night and John Wick: Chapter 2, among numerous others — took to Instagram to announce the project, and called Silo a “special” experience.
“I’m so honored and excited to be a part of this great piece of art,” Common wrote alongside the trailer. “I’m equally excited for y’all to see it. ‘Silo’ is special. It’s got something!”
Set in a dystopian future, Silo focuses on an underground community that lives in a giant silo hundreds of stories underground that is full of strict regulations. The series is created by Emmy-nominated screenwriter Graham Yost, who has previously worked on HBO’s Band of Brothers and FX’s Justified.
Common stars as a character named Sims, and appears alongside other accredited actors such as Harriet Walter (Succession), Chinaza Uche (Dickinson), Avi Nash (The Walking Dead), David Oyelowo (Selma), Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation) and Tim Robbins (Mystic River). The series premieres on May 5.
The announcement comes after Common made his Broadway debut in the show Between Riverside and Crazy last December.
The play follows an ex-cop and his paroled son as they try to keep ownership of their rent-controlled apartment in the Upper West Side, with Common starring as the son Junior.
“It’s been inspiring. It’s been a lot of fun it’s been really hard work it’s been one of those things where I always loved theater and dreamed being a part of theater,” the Resurrection MC told local New York outlet Pix 11 at the time.
He added: “What I love about Junior is that he’s not just one-dimensional. He really has a lot to him but a lot of people could look at this person the way we do like, ‘Ok, this dude was locked up, he was on dope, he ain’t gonna never be nothing,’ but that’s not who Junior is.’”
When it was initially announced that Common would play the role of Junior last September, he echoed these sentiments on Instagram and said the opportunity had been a dream for years.
“This has been a dream of mine for a very long time to act in a play, to do theater, and to be a part of a theater company,” Common shared. “I am supremely grateful and overwhelmingly inspired to be a part of Between Riverside and Crazy. I can’t wait to begin this process and to live this journey.”
He added: “When I got this role, I called my mother like I had gotten my first record contract. Haha! It was that much joy.”
In other news, Common was one of many big names who stopped by De La Soul’s “D.A.I.S.Y. Experience” event in New York City last week, which commemorated both the group’s back catalog arriving on streaming and the recent passing of Trugoy The Dove.
Common ran through his hit song “The Light” while also trading some freestyle bars with Talib Kweli.
