There’s no denying that 2016 has been the year of Chance the Rapper. Since dropping his third mixtape Coloring Book back in May, the young Chicago-based rapper and singer has become a celebrity of sorts, hanging out with Beyonce and Jay Z, making it onto President Obama’s playlist, and even using his platform to speak out against police brutality. Now, Young Chano is preparing to make his big screen debut in the upcoming A24 film Slice. 

Slice is directed by close friend and colleague Austin Vesely, the man behind a number of music videos for Chance and the rest of his Savemoney crew. The film, expected to release during the second half of 2017, stars Chance Bennett as Dax Lycander, a former Chinese food delivery boy turned werewolf. According to Vesely, the film is inspired by George Saunders’ short story CivilWarLand in Bad Decline, and is set in an alternative universe filled with supernatural elements that are accepted as everyday reality. 

Chance recently posted a short teaser video featuring his character in Slice on Twitter:

 

Backed by the film studio A24, which recently released the critically acclaimed movie Moonlight, Vesely’s film is poised to be a hit, and could help Chance jumpstart a promising acting career. Though he hasn’t played the lead role in a movie just yet, the rapper recently starred in a commercial for Kit Kat, where he used his musical talents to reinterpret the candy bar’s famous jingle. 

The idea for Slice is came from a short film written by Vesely, which eventually ended up developing into a full-length feature. A longtime friend and collaborator of Chance's, the director had specifically created the role of Dax for his friend. “Making narrative features has always been something I’ve wanted to do,” Vesely told RedEye. “Being friends and colleagues with Chance the Rapper was cool because he’s interested in movies too. He basically told me that when the time comes that I could make something, he’d be there for me. So I wrote a role for him in the piece.”

Vesely played a major role in Chance’s latest mixtape, directing the music video for the smash hit “No Problem” featuring 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne. He’s also responsible for directing Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment’s amazing musical short film Sunday Candy with Chance and Ian Eastwood. Needless to say, Chance the Rapper and Vesely have a strong creative bond, one that will likely be only get stronger in Slice.