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CULVER CITY, Calif. (November 8, 2018) – Enter the corrupt world of 1980s Detroit at the height of the War on Drugs in the compelling father-son story, WHITE BOY RICK, debuting on Digital and available via the Movies Anywhere App. on December 11 and on Blu-ray™ and DVD December 25 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. Based on true events, WHITE BOY RICK tells the moving story of a blue-collar father, played by Academy Award® winner Matthew McConaughey (2013, Best Actor, Dallas Buyers Club,) and his teenage son, played by newcomer Richie Merritt. Fifteen-year-old Rick Wershe Jr., dubbed “White Boy Rick”, becomes the youngest FBI informant in history, and later a drug dealer, manipulated by the very system meant to protect him, abandoned by his FBI handlers, and sentenced to life in prison.
Directed by Yann Demange (‘71), this gritty saga also features BAFTA nominee Bel Powley (Diary of a Teenage Girl) as Rick’s drug-addicted sister, Dawn, Academy Award® nominee, Jennifer Jason Leigh (2015, Best Supporting Actress, The Hateful Eight), Brian Tyree Henry (FX’s “Atlanta”), Rory Cochrane (Black Mass), RJ Cyler (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl), Jonathan Majors (Hostiles), and Eddie Marsan (“Ray Donovan”, Deadpool 2), alongside Oscar® nominees Bruce Dern (2014, Best Actor, Nebraska), and Piper Laurie (1976, Best Supporting Actress, Carrie).
The WHITE BOY RICK Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital bonus features include six never-before-seen deleted scenes and three behind-the-scenes featurettes offering insights on the true story, superb casting and more. Hear an exclusive audio interview with the real-life Rick Wershe Jr. from prison as he describes his story and shares personal photos and video from his trial in “The Unknown True Story of Rick Wershe Jr.” Learn how Director Yann Demange found the diverse cast, including the unique way he discovered streetwise newcomer Richie Merritt and how award-winner Matthew McConaughey made the part his own in “The Three Tribes of Detroit: The Cast”. Finally, take a look inside the collaborative effort it took to recreate 1980’s Detroit with insights into how they matched the tone with music, costume & production design and more in “The Making of White Boy Rick”. Rounding out the special features package is an informative pop-up trivia track with insider information on this true story and the making of this film.
WHITE BOY RICK was directed by Yann Demange (‘71) and written by Andy Weiss and Logan & Noah Miller. The film was produced by John Lesher (Birdman, Black Mass), Julie Yorn (Hell or High Water, The Other Woman), Scott Franklin (Jackie, Black Swan), and Darren Aronofsky (Jackie, Noah). The film was executive produced by Georgia Kacandes, Matthew Krul, Ari Handel, Michael J. Weiss, Christopher Mallick, Logan Miller, and Noah Miller.
Synopsis:
Set in 1980s Detroit at the height of the crack epidemic and the War on Drugs, WHITE BOY RICK is based on the moving true story of a blue-collar father and his teenage son, Rick Wershe Jr., who became an undercover police informant and later a drug dealer, before he was abandoned by his handlers and sentenced to life in prison.
Blu-ray, DVD and Digital Bonus Materials Include:
•6 Deleted Scenes
•Featurettes:
•“The Unknown True Story of Rick Wershe Jr.”
•“The Three Tribes of Detroit: The Cast”
•“The Making of White Boy Rick”
•Feature Trivia Track
