Friday, March 1, 2019

Ava DuVernay's 'Central Park Five' Limited Series Gets Premiere Date and New Title

Filmmaker Ava DuVernay's (Selma, The 13th) upcoming limited series based on the case of the Central Park Five has received a premiere date and a new title from Netflix today.






The four-part series will now be known as When They See Us. It will also debut on the streaming service on Friday, May 31.

"In 1989, five black and brown teen boys were wrongly accused of a crime they did not commit and branded The Central Park Five, a moniker that has followed them since that time," said DuVernay on the title change today. "In 2019, our series gives the five men a platform to finally raise their voices and tell their full stories. In doing so, Korey, Antron, Raymond, Kevin and Yusef also tell the story of many young people of color unjustly ensnared in the criminal justice system. We wanted to reflect this perspective in our title, embracing the humanity of the men and not their politicized moniker."

The series runs from 1989, when five Harlem teens were incorrectly convicted first in the media and then twice in the courts for the brutal rape of a jogger in the NYC park, to 2014 when Santana, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam and Korey Wise saw their names finally cleared."

DuVernay created, co-wrote and directed the entire four-part limited series. She executive produces with Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Skoll, Jonathan King, Jane Rosenthal and Berry Welsh. Harpo Films, Participant Media and Tribeca Productions produce.

The cast features Michael K. Williams, Vera Farmiga, John Leguizamo, Felicity Huffman, Jharrel Jerome, Jovan Adepo, Niecy Nash, Aunjanue Ellis, Kylie Bunbury, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Storm Reid, Chris Chalk, Ethan Herisse, Marquis Rodriguez, Caleel Harris, Asante Black, Freddie Miyares, Justin Cunningham, Joshua Jackson, Christopher Jackson, Adepero Oduye, Omar Dorsey, Blair Underwood, Famke Janssen, William Sadler and Aurora Perrineau.