When is Ava DuVernay's When They See Us on Netflix? Who is in the cast? What's it about?
The Selma director's true crime drama about the Central Park 5 is set to arrive in May
Ava DuVernay's When They See Us, a true crime drama which centres around a group of five teenagers of colour who were convicted of a rape they did not commit, is set to be released on Netflix in May 2019.
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Across four episodes, it will explore their long fight to prove their innocence in the years after they were first arrested in 1989. It is the Selma director's second project for Netflix, following her acclaimed documentary 13th, about mass incarceration in the USA.
Find out everything you need to know about When They See Us below.
When is When They See Us released on Netflix?
The four-part series debuted on Netflix on Friday 31st May 2019.
Is there a trailer for When They See Us?
Yes. It gives us a glimpse at the night the boys were arrested, and the subsequent trial. Check it out below.
Prior to this, Netflix released a short teaser clip, which sees the five teens locked away in a police station, featuring a voice-over detailing a police conspiracy to find a perpetrator for the rape in question. Check it out below.
What is When They See Us about?
The drama tells the story of the Central Park Five – Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise – a group of teenagers from Harlem who were arrested in 1989 for the assault and rape of Trisha Meili, and endured a 25-year-long fight to prove their innocence.
Who is in the cast of When They See Us?
Five rising stars will play the teenage leads in the series.
Jovan Adepo, best known for roles in Denzel Washington's Fences and Jack Ryan, will play Anton McCray, Jharrell Jerome (Moonlight) will play Korey Wise, Asante Blackk will play Justin Cunningham, Chris Chalk will star as Yusef Salaam and Freddy Miyares is Raymond Santana.
There's also a host of established talent – including Vera Farmiga, John Leguizamo, Blair Underwood and Joshua Jackson – on board to play a number of as yet unidentified roles.
Desperate Housewives actress Felicity Huffman – who was recently charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud as part of the US college entrance exam cheating scandal – is also among the cast.
How have the "Central Park Five" responded to the Netflix drama?
The Central Park Five – dubbed the "Exonerated Five" – sat down with Oprah Winfrey to discuss When They See Us and discuss how it feels to see their real-life story on screen.
“I’m so happy and ecstatic that we can start the conversation now, and make sure there will never be another Central Park Five, and make sure we have a platform to make sure of that,” said Richardson, adding: "It is bittersweet, because watching this is painful. But it’s necessary. This needs to be watched. We need to make sure things change now.”
When They See US was released 0n Friday 31st May 2019. The full series is available on Netflix now
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