Jamila Velazquez is in for a thrill…

The 22-year-old Puerto Rican, Dominican and Ecuadorian American actress has joined the cast of John Henry, a dramatic thriller from first-time film director Will Forbes.

Described as a modern retelling of the folklore, the plot, co-written by Forbes and Doug Skinner, follows John Henry (Terry Crews), a man who has traded violence for a peaceful life in South Los Angeles. But when he meets two immigrant kids running from the leader of his former gang (Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges), Henry must decide whether to revisit his troubled past in order to give them a future.

In addition to Crews, Bridges and Velazquez, best known for her television roles on Twisted and Empire, the film will also star Ken Foree, Tyler Alvarez, and JJ Soria.

The indie is being produced by Defiant Studios’ Eric B. Fleischman, Automatik’s Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, and Kodiak’s Maurice Fadida.