We’re getting the first look at André Holland as Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton in Apple’s upcoming limited series The Big Cigar (See photo above). The six-episode limited drama series is set to premiere globally May 17 with the first two episodes, followed by new episodes every Friday through June 14, on Apple TV+.
Based on the eponymous Playboy magazine article by Joshuah Bearman, the series, which chronicles Newton’s escape to Cuba, is executive produced by Janine Sherman Barrois (Claws, The Kings of Napa), Winning Time‘s Jim Hecht and Bearman, with the first two episodes directed and executive produced by Don Cheadle.
Per the official synopsis: “The Big Cigar is the incredible true story of Hollywood revolution meeting social revolution: it’s a wild caper of Black Panther founder Huey Newton escaping from the FBI to Cuba with the assistance of famed producer Bert Schneider in an impossibly elaborate plan – involving a fake movie production — that goes wrong every way it possibly can. And somehow, it’s all true. Mostly.”
The ensemble cast also includes Alessandro Nivola, Tiffany Boone, PJ Byrne, Marc Menchaca, Moses Ingram, Rebecca Dalton, Olli Haaskivi, Jordane Christie, and Glynn Turman.
Barrois also serves as showrunner and Hecht penned the show’s first episode. The series hails from Warner Bros. Television, where Barrois and her Folding Chair Productions are under an overall deal. Barrois and Hecht are executive producing alongside Bearman, Joshua Davis and Arthur Spector (Little America) through their production company Epic.