The film industry has a new RAYE of light shining on it. It’s been a busy time for pop stars crossing into film lately, just look at Mother Mary or the very celebrity-packed The Devil Wears Prada 2. Fresh off her acclaimed second album, This Music May Contain Hope, Raye is joining the growing list of musicians-turned-actors, following in the footsteps of Lady Gaga and Harry Styles.
Yep, she’s swapping looking for her husband for looking for an Emmy, it seems.
Raye previously appeared in an episode of Netflix’s Black Rabbit, but as she played herself, we’re not quite counting that as her official acting debut. The upcoming crime thriller Lineage will mark the singer’s first scripted dramatic role — and a major step into a new creative era.
The project is already generating buzz for its impressive cast, tasty synopsis and obviously, Raye's involvement. Could this be the start of a longer-term pivot into acting alongside her music career? Here’s everything we know so far about Raye’s film debut.
What is Lineage about?
According to a synopsis, Lineage will be set in present-day London and centre around Tariq, a young father aiming to build a new life for himself and his son, Amine, after he’s released from prison. However, Tariq finds himself drawn back into the criminal underworld after receiving a cry for help from his brother. Capping it all off: Tariq’s own mother is a London crime boss. His reconnection jeopardises everything he has built, forcing him to confront his family loyalty and the legacy of violence that has defined his life.
Oh, this is going to get interesting.
At just 18, she was sexually coerced on a boat by a famous man. Now, she's ready to talk.
Written by Enda Walsh, whose credits include Steve McQueen’s Hunger, and based on a story by Top Boy and 71 director Yann Demange, the film was developed by the pair over the past two years.
“Lineage is a homecoming for me in many ways,” Demange said, adding the film will feature “characters I know very well… including a crime boss matriarch.”
“It’s also my love letter to the London I grew up in and love," he continued. "It’s important to me that the film both honours and delivers on the crime genre in an exciting and fresh way, whilst simultaneously exploring the complications of family and the possibility of transcending one’s beginnings."
Fellow cast members include Isabelle Huppert, Dali Benssalah and Adam Bessa. For French screen legend Huppert, Lineage marks her first British film. We have a feeling she'll be playing the crime boss matriarch… The project also reunites Huppert and Bessa, who co-star in Parallel Tales.
This sounds like the perfect watch for fans of Mint.
Who will Raye play in Lineage?
Much to our dismay, it's still unclear who Raye will play in the film. We're hoping it's a crime boss or another exciting role. Perhaps she'll play Tariq's love interest…
Is this Raye's first acting role?
This is Raye's first scripted role and cinematic release.
While Raye has enjoyed a breakout few years as a musician, she seems to have caught the acting bug after her first on-screen experience in Black Rabbit, which starred Jason Bateman and Jude Law. “Reading my very first ever ‘on screen’ lines whilst staring into Jason Bateman’s eyes is a life experience I will never forget,” Raye told Billboard last year
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When will Lineage be released?
Filming for Lineage begins in London in early August. We don't have a release date yet, but based on typical schedules, this might mean it comes out early 2027 or summer 2027.
We'll keep you posted on more updates about Lineage.
