EXCLUSIVE: Empire star Terrence Howard, Wesley Snipes (Blade), Eiza González (Baby Driver), rapper and actor Tip “T.I.” Harris (Ant-Man), Demetrius Shipp Jr. (All Eyez on Me) and Shameik Moore (Netflix’s The Get Down) have all been tapped to star in post-Katrina heist drama, Cut Throat City, with Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA at the helm. The pic, currently filming in New Orleans, is produced by Elliott Michael Smith of Rumble Riot Pictures, Michael Mendelsohn of Patriot Pictures, William Clevinger, Kyle Tekiela, Sean Lydiard, Film Wealth, and RZA.

P.G. Cuscheri wrote the script which centers on four boyhood friends who return to New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina, to find their home decimated and prospects for work swept away. Turning to a local gangster for employment, the crew is hired to pull off a daring casino heist, right in the heart of the city.

Rounding out the cast are Joel David Moore (Avatar), Kat Graham (The Vampire Diaries), Rob Morgan (Mudbound), Keean Johnson (Alita: Battle Angel), Denzel Whitaker (The Great Debaters) and Isaiah Washington (The 100).

The film was fully financed by Mendelsohn’s Union Patriot Capital Management. Jim Steele, Natalie Perrotta, and XYZ Films are executive producers, Jarod Einsohn is co-producing. XYZ is also repping international sales. RZA will also oversee the soundtrack and score for the film.

Howard is repped by CAA; T.I. by CAA and Category 5; González by CAA and Management 360; Snipes by APA; Moore and Shipp Jr. by CAA; RZA by WME.