According to indiewire, Yasiin Bey ( that’s Mos Def to the uninitiated) has signed on to star in a prequel to Quentin Tarantino‘s 1997 film Jackie Brown. Directed by Dan Schechter and slated to begin shooting in May, The Switch–which is based on the Elmore Leonard novel of the same name–will also star John Hawkes from this year’s Sundance hit The Surrogate. Bey and Hawkes will play the parts of Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara, respectively (roles held down by Samuel L. Jackson and Robert De Niro in Jackie Brown, which was adapted from Leonard’s book Rum Punch). Here is a quick synopsis:

Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara hit it off in prison, where they were both doing time for grand theft auto. Now that they’re out, they’re joining forces for one big score. The plan is to kidnap the wife of a wealthy Detroit developer and hold her for ransom. But they didn’t figure the lowlife husband wouldn’t want his lady back. So it’s time for Plan B and the opportunity to make a real killing — with the unlikely help of a beautiful, ticked-off housewife who’s hungry for a large helping of sweet revenge. See Also Audio Stream The Deluxe Version of Earl Sweatshirt ‘Feet of Clay’

Sounds like it has all the makings of a classic. And now that I have made you horn-dogs read all the way to the bottom, here is the bad news: Jackie Brown, the title character played by cinema legend Pam Grier in Tarantino’s adaption, does not um, figure, in the prequel. Sorry.

spotted at SC