Apple Orders Huey P. Newton Limited Series With André Holland in Talks to Star, Don Cheadle to Direct
variety.comJoe Otterson TV ReporterApple has ordered the limited series “The Big Cigar” about Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton, Variety has learned.The six-episode series hails from Warner Bros.
Television, with André Holland in talks to star as Newton. Jim Hecht, who recently created “Winning Time” at HBO, serves as writer and executive producer.
Janine Sherman Barrois, the showrunner for shows like “Claws” and “Self Made” and the creator and showrunner of “The Kings of Napa” at OWN, will serve as showrunner and executive producer.
Don Cheadle is onboard to direct and executive produce the first two episodes.Based on the Playboy article of the same name by Joshuah Bearman, “The Big Cigar” tells the true story of how Newton relied on his best friend, Bert Schneider — the Hollywood producer behind “Easy Rider” — to elude a nationwide manhunt and escape to Cuba while being pursued into exile by the FBI.
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