In the latest trailer for “When They See Us,” Ava DuVernay’s Netflix miniseries about the Central Park Five, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise are depicted before and after their conviction for the rape and assault of a white woman — a crime they did not commit.
The spot, similar to the previous trailer, gives us a glimpse of the young men in a holding cell. But it also features new footage of the men after they’ve served their time and, in Korey’s (Jharrel Jerome, “Moonlight”) case, during their incarceration.
“I know you’ve seen things — maybe had to defend yourself,” Angie Richardson (Kylie Bunbury, “Pitch”) tells her younger brother, Kevin (Justin Cunningham, “Succession”), as she drives him home from prison. “But in the end, you have the same heart. You gotta carry that with you out here, okay?”
The now-grown men will have to hold on to every positive aspect of their lives if they’ll survive outside. They’re constantly reminded that they’re convicted sexual predators even though, as Yusef (Chris Chalk, “Gotham”) stresses, “that’s the law, not the truth.”
To coincide with the premiere of “When They See Us,” Participant Media, in collaboration with Color Of Change, Vera Institute of Justice, Institute for Innovation in Prosecution at John Jay College, The Opportunity Agenda, and more, will launch a social media campaign promoting reform in the criminal justice system.
DuVernay created, directed, and co-wrote “When They See Us.”
The miniseries’ ensemble cast also includes Jovan Adepo (“The Leftovers”), Freddy Miyares (“Elementary”), Vera Farmiga (“Bates Motel”), Niecy Nash (“Claws”), Storm Reid (“A Wrinkle in Time”), John Leguizamo (“Bloodline”), and Joshua Jackson (“The Affair”).
DuVernay’s OWN family drama “Queen Sugar” will return for Season 4 on June 12. A Prince docuseries and an adaptation of Octavia Butler’s “Dawn” are among the other TV projects on the “13th” filmmaker’s slate. She’s also set to direct “The New Gods” for the big screen, a DC Comics adaptation about a group of deities who come into existence after the gods of classic mythology are killed. The project marks the second time DuVernay has helmed a $100 million-plus film. She became the first black woman to do so with last year’s “A Wrinkle in Time.”
“When They See Us” will begin streaming on Netflix this Friday, May 31.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JseOG2YQr7w&feature=youtu.be
