The Kitchen: release date, cast, plot, trailer, interview, first looks and everything you need to know about the thriller

The Kitchen on Netflix sees Black Panther star Daniel Kaluuya making his film-writing debut. It's a dystopian futuristic thriller which follows Izi (Kane Robinson) and 12-year-old Benji (played by newcomer Jedaiah Bannerman) whose worlds collide as they battle against a ‘system that is stacked against them’.

The hard-hitting drama is set in London in 2044, where the gap between rich and poor has stretched beyond recognition. All forms of social housing have been eradicated and the working classes must live in temporary accommodation on the outskirts of the city.

The story focuses on The Kitchen of the title, the largest of these slums, which houses the last residents who refuse to move out of a place they call home. There we meet Izi and Benji, who has lost his mother and desperately needs to find a family, and they must team up in order to survive.

“It’s a father and son story and a way to talk about what’s happening in London right now,” writer Daniel Kaluuya told us at a recent Netflix showcase event.

“It’s a way to talk about legislation and dramatise how it feels being in London right now and the pressures of being moved on. How do you dramatise the pressure of people wanting you to leave a place that you were born in? And in the middle of it is this story about this man and this boy. The idea came from when I was sitting in my barber’s shop listening to a boy boasting about doing these million-pound heists. I dug into it a bit deeper and then I saw that these kids are doing it for £200. They were robbing millions of pounds of jewels for £200. That says something profound about where we’re at at the moment in this city.”

Here’s everything  you need to know about the Netflix movie The Kitchen…

The Kitchen release date

The Kitchen launches on Netflix on Friday January 19 2024, having had had its world premiere at the London Film Festival on Sunday October 15 2023. The Kitchen will also be shown on limited release in British cinemas from Friday January 12 2024.

Is there a trailer for The Kitchen?

Yes a trailer for The Kitchen has just been released by Netflix which shows the bleakness of the dystopian world. Take a look below and see if you can spot footbller Ian Wright in his cameo appearance...

The Kitchen plot

The Kitchen is set in London in 2044, where gentrification means that working-class Londoners have been forced to live in temporary accommodation on the outskirts of the city. One such accommodation is The Kitchen, home to those who are refusing to leave. We follow Izi and 12-year-old orphan Benji, who are drawn together as they fight a system within which they are set up to fail.

The Kitchen cast — Kane Robinson as Izi

Better known as Kano, Kane Robinson, who plays Izi in The Kitchen, is a rapper, songwriter and actor. He’s known for the songs London Town and Boys Love Girls, and for playing Sully in the series Top Boy. He also starred in the movie Tower Block, alongside Sheridan Smith and Russell Tovey.

Who else is starring in The Kitchen?

The Kitchen also stars newcomer Jedaiah Bannerman who plays 12-year-old Benji (see our first look main picture) while Hope Ikpoku Jr (Blue Story), YouTuber Teija Kabs and rappers Backroad Gee and Cristale also star. Former England footballer and TV pundit Ian Wright makes a cameo appearance as the mysterious Lord Kitchener.

More about The Kitchen creator Daniel Kaluuya

Daniel Kaluuya played Fred Hampton in Judas and the Black Messiah and W’Kabi in Black Panther. He starred as Chris Washington in the hit movies Get Out and Nope and has also starred in Queen & Slim, Babylon, Skins, Black Mirror and Psychoville.

Behind the scenes and more on The Ktichen

Daniel Kaluuya co-wrote The Kitchen with Joe Murtagh, writer of Calm With Horses. Kibwe Tavares directs, while the film's producers are Daniel Kaluuya and Daniel Emmerson. The production companies are 59% Production and DMC Film.

The BFI London Film Festival closing night film The Kitchen were joined by a star-studded list of guests at the Festival’s Closing Night Party. Taking place at London venue 26 Leake Street, the cast and filmmakers from The Kitchen, including Daniel Kaluuya, Kibwe Tavares, Kane Robinson, Jedaiah Bannerman, Hope Ikpoku Jr, Ian Wright, Dan Emmerson and Teija Kabs, were joined by guests including Michaela Coel, Ashley Walters, Micheal Ward, Giggs, Akala and many others.