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Trailer for The Big Cigar shows Black Panther FBI fakeout

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Apple TV+ dropped the first trailer for The Big Cigar Wednesday. And it looks like so much fun I almost don’t want to know how true the “incredible true story” actually is.

The upcoming drama series tells the tale of Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton enlisting a Hollywood producer to fake out the FBI, providing cover for Newton’s escape to Cuba in 1974. That came after he jumped bail on murder and assault charges he called false.

The six-part series debuts May 17 with two episodes, followed by a new one each Friday through June 14, Apple TV+ said.

The Big Cigar trailer plays up wild Black Panther-FBI fakeout with Hollywood’s help

The six-episode drama The Big Cigar “tells the incredible true story of Newton’s escape to Cuba,” Apple TV said. André Holland stars as Newton. And before we go any further, “The Big Cigar” is the title of the fake movie production that aided Newton’s escape.

I say I don’t want to know how true to history the movie is for good reason. I’ve gotten into the habit lately of reading source material for Apple TV+ movies and shows. And sometimes that comes back to bite me.

An example would be when I read the book behind the Manhunt series about the chase for Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth. The way the show (understandably) tried to make the storytelling more visual by having august and asthmatic Secretary of War Edwin Stanton (Tobias Menzies) chase down perps and interrogate people all over the place drove me nuts. In reality, he ran the manhunt’s frantic operations from a telegraph room.

The Big Cigar‘s big story

Notably, The Big Cigar limited series is executive produced by NAACP Image Award winner Janine Sherman Barrois, Jim Hecht and Joshuah Bearman. And perhaps even more notably, multi-award winning actor/director/producer Don Cheadle directs and executive produces the first two episodes.

And whether or not it’s because of Cheadle’s influence, the series trailer feels like it’s for an Ocean’s Eleven-style caper movie. He played cockney-accented munitions expert Basher Tarr in that film.

Here’s the streamer’s description of the The Big Cigar:

Based on the magazine article of the same name by Joshuah Bearman (Argo), who also serves as executive producer, The Big Cigar tells the incredible true story of Hollywood revolution meeting social revolution. It’s a wild caper about Black Panther founder Huey P. Newton escaping from the FBI to Cuba with the assistance of famed producer Bert Schneider in an impossibly elaborate plan — involving a fake movie production — that goes wrong every way it possibly can.

Will the series pull off the caper, or will it turn out to be a silly mess? Hard to say just from the trailer for The Big Cigar.

The Bearman article appeared in Playboy in December 2012, but does not appear to be available online without subscription. Holland stars alongside Alessandro Nivola, Tiffany Boone, P. J. Byrne, Marc Menchaca, Moses Ingram, Rebecca Dalton, Olli Haaskivi, Jordane Christie and Glynn Turman.

And by the way, this 1977 Washington Post article about Newton’s return from Cuba to face charges is a pretty nifty time capsule.

Watch The Big Cigar trailer

Sherman Barrois (Claws, Self Made) serves as showrunner for The Big Cigar. Executive producer Hecht (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty) wrote the first episode. The series comes from Warner Bros. Television. Other executive producers are Bearman, Joshua Davis and Arthur Spector (Little America) through Epic.

Watch The Big Cigar and other dramas on Apple TV+

The six-part series The Big Cigar debuts May 17 on Apple TV+ with two episodes, followed by a new one each Friday through June 14. With many dramas on offer, the service is available by subscription for $9.99 with a seven-day free trial. You can also get it via any tier of the Apple One subscription bundle. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.

After launching in November 2019, “Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 471 wins and 2,090 award nominations and counting,” the service said.

In addition to award-winning movies and TV shows (including breakout soccer comedy Ted Lasso), Apple TV+ offers a variety of documentaries, dramas, comedies, kids shows and more.

Source: Apple TV+

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First look at The Big Cigar limited series coming to Apple TV+ May 17

According to Apple’s first look at The Big Cigar, it’s a six-episode drama based in strange-but-true reality. NAACP Image Award winner Janine Sherman Barrois serves as executive producer, along with Jim Hecht and Joshuah Bearman. Multi-award-winning actor, director and producer Don Cheadle directs and executive produces the first two episodes.

So the show “chronicles the story of Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton’s escape to Cuba, and is based on the monumental, eponymous magazine article of the same name.”

And if you’re unfamiliar with Newton, he was theAfrican American political activist who founded the Black Panther Party in 1966 with Bobby Seale in Oakland, California. Newton ran the group and its social programs. It ceased operations in 1982. He was murdered in 1989.

Here’s the streaming service’s description provided with the first look at The Big Cigar:

Based on the magazine article by Joshuah Bearman (Argo), who will also serve as executive producer, The Big Cigar is the incredible true story of Hollywood revolution meeting social revolution: it’s a wild caper of Black Panther founder Newton escaping from the FBI to Cuba with the assistance of famed producer Bert Schneider in an impossibly elaborate plan — involving a fake movie production — that goes wrong every way it possibly can. And somehow, it’s all true. Mostly.

André Holland leads a renowned ensemble cast including Alessandro Nivola, Tiffany Boone, P. J. Byrne, Marc Menchaca, Moses Ingram, Rebecca Dalton, Olli Haaskivi, Jordane Christie and Glynn Turman.

Barrois (Claws, The Kings of Napa) serves as the series’ showrunner. Jim Hecht (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty) wrote the first episode. The series comes from Warner Bros. Television, which has a deal with Barrois and her Folding Chair Productions company. In addition to Barrois and Hecht, Bearman, Joshua Davis and Arthur Spector (Little America) of the Epic production company serve as executive producers.

Watch The Big Cigar on Apple TV+

Now that you’ve had a first look at The Big Cigar, take note the new limited series streams starting May 17. Apple TV+ is available by subscription for $9.99 with a seven-day free trial. You can also get it via any tier of the Apple One subscription bundle. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.