California Schemin’ is a 2025 biographical musical film directed by James McAvoy in his feature directorial debut. Based on Gavin Bain’s 2010 memoir California Schemin’: How Two Lads from Scotland Conned the Music Industry, the film tells the unbelievable true story of Silibil N’ Brains, a Scottish rap duo from Dundee who reinvented themselves as Americans to break into the music scene.
Starring Samuel Bottomley and Séamus McLean Ross as real-life friends Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, the film follows their wild rise as they maintain the elaborate fake identities for three years, fooling industry insiders and earning credibility they couldn’t get as unknown Scottish rappers. What starts as a desperate hustle quickly turns into a high-stakes ride through fame, fraud, and ambition, eventually landing them on tour with Eminem.
In cinemas April 10.
