Kian Lawley Joins Issa Rae In Feature Film Adaptation Of ‘The Hate U Give’

YouTuber-actor Kian Lawley has landed his latest role in a feature drama called The Hate U Give.

The ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement-inspired film, which is currently in production in Atlanta, stars Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games) as a young girl named Starr Carter caught between two worlds: the poverty-stricken, predominantly black neighborhood where she lives, and her rich, mostly white prep school. Starr then serves as the sole witness to the murder of her best friend — who may or may not have been a drug dealer — at the hands of a police officer.

Lawley will play Stenberg’s boyfriend in the film, Deadline reports, whose name is Chris.

The Hate U Give is an adaptation of Angela Thomas’ New York Times Best Selling YA novel of the same name, which was released earlier this year. George Tillman Jr. (Men Of Honor) will direct the film, which also stars fellow digital luminary Issa Rae, as well as Anthony Mackie (The Hurt Locker), Regina Hall (Scary Movie), Russell Hornsby (Fences), Sabrina Carpenter (Adventures In Babysitting), and the rapper-actor Common.

Lawley, 22, a Streamy nominee this year who’s repped by CAA and Flip Management, has appeared in feature films such as Supergravity’s The Chosen, Awesomeness’ Shovel Buddies and Before I Fall, Boo! A Madea Halloween, and the forthcoming Monster Party, as well as original series like Fullscreen’s H8ters, Awesomeness’ Zac And Mia, and AT&T Hello Lab’s Guilty Party.