Trailer for ‘They Cloned Tyrone’

The retro sci-fi comedy also stars Jamie Foxx, Teyonah Parris and Kiefer Sutherland, and the trailer is a wild affair.

Of all the various shows and movies teased by Netflix as part of its big “TUDUM” virtual event this weekend, perhaps one of the most unexpected – and certainly the wackiest – was the pulpy, pointed mystery caper ‘They Cloned Tyrone’, which stars John Boyega, ‘WandaVision’s Teyonah Parris and Jamie Foxx.

They’re starring in the new movie, which tells the story of Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris), Slick (Jamie Foxx), and Fontaine (John Boyega), three unlikely friends who are brought together by their shared discovery of a massive, secret governmental surveillance plan to monitor the lives of Black people before disappearing them and replacing them with clones.

It’s hard to tell from the trailer just what the end goal of snatching people up is, or how three conspiracy theorists are supposed to take down that sort of operation on their own. But they’re going to give it a shot.

This first look at the movie proves it’s certainly going for a 1980s vibe, and a campy one (check out Foxx and Parris duetting on a funky number in an elevator, using their guns as microphones) though with definite hints that there’s some serious social commentary lurking a few layers deeper.

J. Alphonse Nicholson, Robert Tinsley, David Alan Grier,James Moses Black, Megan Sousa, Joshua Michel, Charity Jordan, Tamberla Perry and, though he doesn’t show up in this first burst of footage, Kiefer Sutherland, are all part of the cast.

(L to R) Teyonah Parris as YO-YO, Jamie Foxx (Producer) as Slick Charles, and John Boyega as Fontaine in 'They Cloned Tyrone.' Photo: Parrish Lewis/Netflix.

‘They Cloned Tyrone’ is directed by ‘Creed II’ and ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy' scriptwriter Juel Taylor, who makes his directorial debut and shares a writing credit on this with Tony Rettenmaier.

Boyega’s having a good year so far – between ‘The Woman King’ and ‘Breaking’, he’s been scoring praise for his work, even if he did end up departing another Netflix project, ‘Rebel Ridge’, in 2021. And outside of the streamer, he has fans excited by gearing up to finally appear in a sequel to cult sci-fi pic ‘Attack the Block’ with director Joe Cornish.

Foxx, meanwhile, has been on a run of collaborations with the streaming service – he’s been a conflicted action hero for 2020’s ‘Power Project’ and took down vampires in this year’s thriller ‘Day Shift’. He’s scheduled to be seen next year opposite an “un-retired” Cameron Diaz in action comedy ‘Back in Action’.

As for Parris, she’ll be back as ‘WandaVision’s Monica Rambeau for ‘Captain Marvel’ sequel ‘The Marvels’, sharing screen time with Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers who, of course, was best friends with her mother Maria (Lashana Lynch in that first film) and an inspiration for young Monica (played then by Akira Akbar).

Scheduled for release on July 28, 2023, ‘The Marvels’ will also see ‘Ms. Marvel’s Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) finally meeting her superhero idol.

Netflix has yet to confirm a release date for ‘They Cloned Tyrone’.