After more than three years, the first trailer for Sony Pictures‘ White Boy Rick is finally here. The movie tells the story of Richard Wersche Jr. — played by Richie Merritt — who became the youngest FBI informant ever in the 1980s. As well as Meritt, White Boy Rick stars Matthew McConaughey as Wersche’s dad and appearances from YG and Danny Brown. Set in Detroit, the Yann Demange-directed film sees Wersche establish himself as a drug kingpin in the city before he turns 16. Take a look at the first trailer above; as it stands there is no official release date for White Boy Rick but it is rumored to hit theaters in September this year. In other entertainment news, watch the trailer for Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2.<doc-sep>When Matthew McConaughey is not doing Lincoln car commercials, he’s transforming himself fully for a role that will surely earn him accolades — if not Oscar nominations. And it looks like his latest role will bring him plenty of buzz. McConaughey stars in White Boy Rick, a crime thriller by French director Yann Demange that adapts the wild true story of the Chicago teenager who would go on to be the youngest FBI informant and drug kingpin in history. The first White Boy Rick trailer, which features McConaughey as the titular Ricky Wershe Jr.’s father, gives us our first look at this stranger-than-fiction drama. White Boy Rick Trailer Demange exploded onto the scene with the 2014 historical thriller 71, a film so gripping and taut that it propelled Demange’s name into the short list for potential James Bond directors. Demange ultimately would not make the cut, but it looks like he’s still got plenty to offer based on the White Boy Rick trailer. Based on a true story that takes place in the midst of the 1980s Chicago drug wars, White Boy Rick follows Wershe’s son, Ricky Wershe Jr. (played by newcomer Richie Merritt), who at 14 becomes the youngest informant in FBI history. His father Wershe Sr. (McConaughey) allows his son to enter the dangerous and glamorous world of drug dealing as an FBI informant. But their brief brush with opulence is cut short when the FBI abandons Ricky Wershe Jr., landing the teenager with a life sentence in prison after being arrested for drug trafficking. Demange directs a screenplay by Steve Kloves, Logan Miller, Noah Miller, and Andy Weiss. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bruce Dern, Bel Powley, and Piper Laurie also star. The real-life Wershe Jr.’s story has been subject to a true-crime documentary, which exposes the systemic corruption that went into the man’s conviction. Wershe Jr. was arrested in 1987 at age 17 for cocaine possession, spending nearly 30 years behind bars for a first offense before being paroled. He’s now in a Florida prison, serving time for his involvement from behind bars in a stolen-car ring. Wershe Sr. died in 2014, without seeing his son out of prison. McConaughey has met Wershe Jr., telling USA Today that he admitted his guilt, but was repentant. “He never claimed to be a saint, but at the same time he was adamant that he never had the amount of drugs he was busted for,” McConaughey says. “He also understands that when he does become a free man, he will still be seen as (having) an outstanding debt to society.” Here is the official synopsis for White Boy Rick: In 1980s Detroit, Ricky Wershe Jr. was a street hustler, FBI informant and drug kingpin — all before he turned 16. Based on the true story.<doc-sep>It's time for a trip to 1980s Detroit. Sony Pictures Entertainment dropped a trailer Monday for "White Boy Rick," a crime drama starring Matthew McConaughey. Based on a true story, the film follows a father (McConaughey) and his son, Rick Wershe Jr. (Richie Merritt) as the teen makes a name for himself as a big-time drug dealer during the War on Drugs. The trailer highlights an even stranger part of the story: Rick served as a undercover police informant while still in his early teenage years. Of course, the preview only shows portions of the story, but what it shows includes highs and lows, moving family dynamics, and plenty of illegal activity. The cast also includes Bel Powley, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Tyree Henry, Rory Cochrane, RJ Cyler, Jonathan Majors, Eddie Marsan, Bruce Dern, and Piper Laurie. The film is directed by Yann Demange and was written by Andy Weiss, Logan Miller, and Noah Miller. "White Boy Rick" is slated to hit theaters Sept. 14.<doc-sep>
In the trailer for "White Boy Rick" that dropped today, Detroit's Richard Wershe Jr. is described in large flashing words as America's youngest "hustler ... dealer ... kingpin ... legend." But it's a weary, straggle-haired Matthew McConaughey who stands out as Wershe's father in the gritty preview of the movie that was released exclusively Monday by USA Today. Playing a misguided parent to the teenage FBI informant and drug dealer who became the longest-serving non-violent juvenile convict in Michigan, MConaughey describes his character as a hard-luck story. "I haven’t done many country-song roles in my career, like 'My dog got run over the day I went to jail,' " McConaughey told USA Today. McConaughey looks weary and straggle-haired as the father trying to warn his young song about joining the violent drug gangs of 1980s Detroit. "You gonna get too deep and they're never going to let you out," McConaughey says in the trailer. The two minute-plus collection of clips is set to the throbbing disco beat of Donna Summer hit "I Feel Love." Detroit's Renaissance Center, seen from a distance, gets prime placement. The movie was filmed last year in Cleveland, with a brief stay for shooting in Detroit. More:White Boy Rick documentary debuts online ahead of McConaughey movie Can films, books change life of White Boy Rick? The younger Wershe is played by newcomer Richie Merritt, who was described last year by "White Boy Rick" director Yann Demange as "a 15-year old kid from inner city Baltimore." "White Boy Rick" opens in limited release Sept. 14 and widely on Sept. 21. The real-life Wershe was paroled in 2017 after serving nearly three decades behind bars and is now serving time in Florida for a crime he was convicted of while in prison. Contact Detroit Free Press pop culture critic Julie Hinds: 313-222-6427 or jhinds@freepress.com. USA Today reporter Bryan Alexander contributed.