Apple is setting up its next big limited series, which will focus on Huey P. Newton, the leader of the Black Panthers, and his escape to Cuba with the help of Easy Rider producer Bert Schneider, amid a nationwide manhunt. The show will be based on the Playboy article The Big Cigar by Joshuah Bearman, according to Variety. Warner Bros. Television will produce the six-episode series, which is currently courting André Holland to play its main character.
Holland has an extensive resume, with a number of television credits, including The Eddy, The Knick, Castle Rock, and American Horror Story. He has also appeared in films like Moonlight and Selma. He will be joined by another well-known actor, Don Cheadle, who will serve as director and executive producer for the first two episodes.
Cheadle previously stepped behind the camera to direct episodes of House of Lies for Showtime and the Miles Davis film Miles Ahead.
There is more talent involved in this project, with Jim Hecht, fresh off creating Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty for HBO, on board as writer and executive producer. Janine Sherman Barrois will be an executive producer and the showrunner, tapping into her experience running shows like Claws, Self Made, and The Kings of Napa. Joshua Davis and Arthur Spector will executive produce for Epic, which is part of Vox Media Studios.
The Big Cigar is also notable because it is the third series order from WBTV for Apple. The first – Ted Lasso – has been a tremendous success. The second, which we reported earlier this week, is Shrinking, which will star Harrison Ford, Jessica Williams, and Jason Segel. The Big Cigar is the second collaboration between Apple, Epic, and Bearman, who all worked together on Little America, which is set to return for a second season.