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See the exclusive trailer for Hulu's 'epic' adventure 'Washington Black'
For all the dreamers out there, Sterling K. Brown's got the summertime TV escape for you.
There's danger, romance, comedy and joy aplenty in 'Washington Black,' a new Hulu fantasy adventure (streaming July 23) based on the 2018 Esi Edugyan novel. USA TODAY has the exclusive debut of the first trailer for the series that Brown, a star and executive producer, calls 'an epic coming-of-age tale full of magic and possibility.'
The 19th-century historical fiction centers on George Washington 'Wash' Black (Eddie Karanja), an inventive 11-year-old enslaved boy born on a Barbados sugar plantation. The plantation owner's scientist brother, Titch (Tom Ellis), notices the kid's scientific mind and the two become friends.
But when Wash's life is at stake after an incident on the property, he and Titch escape on a nifty flying airship called "The Cloud Cutter," beginning a globetrotting odyssey. Years later, a grownup Wash (Ernest Kingsley Jr.) settles in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and forms a bond with town leader Medwin Harris (Brown).
Although Wash is born into harsh circumstances, "he does not allow his present limitations to keep him from future possibilities. Wash is a dreamer who knows that his life is not worth living if he is not in active pursuit of making those dreams come true,' Brown says by email, adding that the characters he encounters along the way 'either try to claim this young man's talents as their own, prevent him from using those talents, or protect him.'
Medwin is among the latter. The 'de facto mayor' of the Black part of Halifax, he 'relishes his role in creating community, knowing that there is safety in numbers,' Brown says. 'But through his relationship with this young man, he learns that being safe and being free aren't necessarily the same thing. And while he tries to teach Wash what is necessary to survive, Wash winds up showing him what it means to truly live.'
Brown feels 'Washington Black' is a period show with a powerful message full of belief and hope for modern audiences.
'It's full of whimsical elements that aren't typical to stories featuring Black bodies. As I often say to my friends, 'Black folks like whimsy, too!' ' Brown says. 'And while people of the African diaspora are front and center, the themes are universal. Everyone grows up, everyone seeks out love and community, and if we are blessed enough, everyone wants to live the life of their dreams.'
