Will Poulter has landed a role in a new movie based on the 1967 Detroit riots.

The 23-year-old English actor is set to star in the upcoming crime drama alongside Jack Reynor, newcomer Ben O'Toole and 'Star Wars: The Force awakens' star John Boyega, according to Variety.

The production will reenact the uproar in the July of the sixties, which erupted in America, due to the institutionalized racism after a police raided unlicensed bars that caused a large revolt.

Although plans for the film have been kept under wraps, it is rumoured Poulter, Reynor and O'Toole will star in the large majority of the movie.

American director and producer Kathryn Bigelow has already started shooting scenes for the production in Detroit and Boston.

And it is believed the project will hit the big screens next year to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the riot.

Bigelow will receive assistance from Mark Boal - who worked with Bigelow on 'Zero Dark Thirty' and 'The Hurt Locker' - as well as Greg Shapiro who will be acting as the executive producer on the project.

Meanwhile Bigelow has the backing from Annapurna Pictures, who are on the hunt to find a distribution outlet for the blockbuster for when the movie is entirely complete.