Yahya Abdul-Mateen II may not have many credits to his name but he’s quickly emerged as one of the most exciting new actors of his generation. For a performer whose first movie credit came with 2017’s The Vanishing Of Sidney Hall, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has certainly been prolific the last few years. Following his supporting turn in that Logan Lerman fronted drama, Abdul-Mateen landed a role in the Baz Luhrmann created musical series The Get Down, which explored the rise of hip-hop, punk and disco in 1970s New York. The show was praised for its use of music and strong cast, though it only lasted for a season.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II followed up with a part in 2017’s maligned Baywatch reboot starring Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron and then appeared alongside the latter in musical The Greatest Showman. This 2017 biopic starred Hugh Jackman as P.T. Barnum and became a word of mouth smash hit. During 2018 he appeared in drama Boundaries starring Vera Farmiga, the sports drama First Match, where he plays the estranged father of a teenager who joins a wrestling team to connect with him, and an episode of The Handmaid’s Tale.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s career changed in a major way with his role in Aquaman. This Jason Momoa fronted blockbuster was helmed by James Wan and is a colorful adventure that became a massive success for the DCEU. Abdul-Mateen played Black Manta in the film, a pirate who swears revenge on the title character, and while Black Manta is essentially a subplot, he went on to steal the movie. In fact, Wan reportedly wanted to trim out some of his scenes but test audiences loved the character so much the studio insisted they stay.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II received great reviews for his Aquaman performance and went on to appear in some very exciting projects. He had a supporting role in Jordan Peele’s doppelganger horror Us, and Peele will act as producer for the forthcoming Candyman legacy sequel starring Abdul-Mateen and directed by Nia DaCosta. The actor will play a character with a direct link to the original movie who will seemingly inherit the title character’s legacy. Following Us, he appeared in drama Sweetness In The Belly and the “Striking Vipers” episode of Black Mirror.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II landed another lead role in HBO’s acclaimed Watchmen miniseries, and once again received great reviews for his role as Cal. The actor will next appear in Aaron Sorkin’s ensemble The Trial Of The Chicago 7, and he will play a currently undisclosed lead role in upcoming sequel The Matrix 4 alongside Keanu Reeves; he’s also set to return for Aquaman 2.
