Written by Joi T.
Ava is seeking the truth once again. Fresh off the Oscar-nominated Netflix documentary 13TH, DuVernay and Netflix are teaming up again to bring the story of the Central Park Five in a dramatic limited series.Based on the true story that gripped New York and the world, the series will be a five-episode limited, scripted series that exposes the breakdown of our criminal justice system at every phase of the notorious Central Park Five case. Each part will focus on one of the five teenagers from Harlem — Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise — wrongly convicted of raping Trisha Meili in Central Park. The series will span from the spring of 1989, when each were first questioned about the incident, to 2014 when they were exonerated and a settlement was reached with the city of New York. Â DuVernay, who will be the creator, writer, and director, said this about the project:
“I had an extraordinary experience working with Netflix on 13TH and am overjoyed to continue this exploration of the criminal justice system as a narrative project with Cindy Holland and the team there. The story of the men known as Central Park Five has riveted me for more than two decades. In their journey, we witness five innocent young men of color who were met with injustice at every turn – from coerced confessions to unjust incarceration to public calls for their execution by the man who would go on to be the President of the United States.”
DuVernay hasn’t stopped working, even after this announcement. Her film, A Wrinkle in Time is set to be released March of next year; Queen Sugar is back for a powerful second season, and she’s scheduled to make an appearance at D23 for the A Wrinkle in Time trailer this month. Whatever she’s planning to do next, we’ve been fans of her work for awhile and look forward to watching.
Me watching @ava‘s film career flourish pic.twitter.com/jjAsqubJtH
— BlackGirlNerds (@BlackGirlNerds) July 6, 2017
With Executive Producers Participant Media, Harpo Films, and Tribeca Productions, the Central Park Five series is set to debut on Netflix in 2019.
Joi is a Marketer, sarcasm enthusiast and podcaster/contributor for Black Girls Nerds. You can also find her on Twitter (@jumpedforjoi) tweeting about the intersection of marketing, nerd and tech.
