Latest news with #WashingtonBlack
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Washington Black season 2 prospects as critics fall in love with epic adventure drama
Washington Black has been a hit with fans since it first aired, but will the show be returning for a second season? Washington Black broadcasts on Hulu and Disney Plus, with the programme drawing from Esi Edugyan's novel of the same title. Edugyan drew inspiration from historical accounts of slavery when crafting Washington Black, which chronicles the 19th-century journey of George Washington "Wash" Black (portrayed by Ernest Kingsley Jr). At just 11 years old, he was compelled to escape his residence on a Barbados sugar plantation after witnessing a horrific fatality. The programme has captivated audiences with its outstanding ensemble, featuring Sterling K Brown as Medwin Harris and Tom Ellis as Wilde. Here's everything you need to understand about the show's prospects following the inaugural season. Will there be a season 2 of Washington Black? Regrettably for devotees, it appears the programme won't continue past its first season, as it's been classified as a miniseries. In March 2019, 20th Television acquired the rights to the novel, and by September that year, reports emerged of an adaptation being developed at Hulu with Sterling K. Brown attached as executive producer. In October 2021, it was revealed Hulu had commissioned a limited television adaptation of the novel. Given this context, it seems the narrative will unfold across a compact eight episodes, culminating in a definitive conclusion. The programme has already garnered glowing praise from reviewers, with Sherin Cole commenting on Rotten Tomatoes: "The series transforms a harrowing flight from retaliation into a visually lush quest for identity and freedom, blending historical drama with the heart and wonder of a coming-of-age epic." Carly Lane from Collider remarked: "Overall, the pleasure of watching a show like Washington Black is the mere fact that it exists, rooted in joy, adventure, romance, and self-discovery." The Guardian included the show amongst its top seven programmes to watch this week.
Chicago Tribune
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
‘Washington Black' review: Escaping enslavement becomes a rip-roaring adventure
What does 'somewhere safe' mean when a bounty hunter is on your trail? In the Hulu adventure series 'Washington Black,' that location has been Halifax, Nova Scotia — at least temporarily — for the title character who, as a boy, escaped enslavement on a sugar plantation in early 19th century Barbados. Now a young adult (Ernest Kingsley Jr.), he goes by Jack Crawford to evade detection. Wash, as he was known in a former life, has been living for an indeterminate period of time as a free man in Halifax among other free Black people, including the warmly protective Medwin (Sterling K. Brown, also a producer here), who affectionately calls Wash 'island boy' and says things like 'Are we dreamin' or are we drinkin'?' before clinking glasses, and then: 'If the white folks don't kill ya, this'll definitely do the job,' he says of whatever they're swilling. He is also not afraid to get his hands dirty. This is good news for Wash, since that aforementioned bounty hunter means business. An accomplished artist and scientist who dreams of building a flying machine, Wash's interests and prodigious talents are conspicuous enough that his attempts to disappear haven't fully succeeded, forcing him into hiding. There's also the beautiful young blonde woman Wash spotted days earlier at the docks. As she disembarked from a ship, he stared, both enraptured but also clocking that she's biracial, something the white population of Halifax has failed to grasp. That's how her (white) father wants it, but she has no intention of living a lie or denying the memory of her deceased mother. Her insistence is why they left London to start over in Halifax, as her father keeps reminding her: 'You are a child of England, a child of empire, and that is the skin you must inhabit for us both.' The tenuousness of her and Wash's circumstances complicates the sweetness of their tentative romance. They have both been living double lives and have a unique understanding of one another as a result. That's the 1837 narrative. The other begins eight years earlier in Barbados, and it is Wash's origin story told in flashback. A repellent plantation owner rides out to the sugarcane fields to ward off any thoughts of suicide as a means of escape from their living nightmare: 'Killing yourself is a crime against me as surely as if you stole my horse and slit his throat.' This cruel man has a brother, whose arrival changes the course of Wash's life. A high-spirited inventor and abolitionist named Titch (Tom Ellis), he recognizes the child's curiosity and talent and takes the preteen (played by Eddie Karanja) under his wing. Soon enough, the pair are fleeing the sugarcane fields and Titch's nasty family dysfunction in a blimp-shaped 'cloutcutter' of the man's own devising. They don't get far before crashing into the masts of a pirate ship, and so Wash's journey — a grand, Jules Verne-esque tale both thrilling and fought with danger — begins. Based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Esi Edugyan, the eight-episode series is adapted by show creator Selwyn Seyfu Hinds and has a throwback quality to it, with a sweeping orchestral score that sets the tone. Wash's story can be deeply harrowing in parts (Nat Turner, played by Jamie Hector, makes a brief appearance and he is deadly serious about how precarious everyone's safety is), but it is also filled with dreamy and audacious escapades that see Wash deep sea diving and becoming mesmerized by the vast unknowableness of ocean life under the water. Is a novel, which engages the imagination differently than a screen adaptation, better equipped to toggle between these competing tones? Perhaps. More pressing, for me, was the question of who Wash is, in terms of his personality. As written and performed, we don't get much sense of what his own particular internal monologue might be, and this becomes underscored in any scene he shares with Brown's Medwin, who is such a clearly defined presence by comparison. Brown's an actor working on a different level than most, and he's very effective in his few appearances. I wish the show had outlined a bit more about the lives of Black people in Fairfax. They are free but vulnerable, and that nuance comes through most clearly when Medwin walks into a watering hole patronized by white men. The place goes quiet and he takes a seat at the bar. The man next to him says, 'I wouldn't expect your kind to be welcome in a place like this,' to which Medwin replies evenly: 'No, not usually. But most of the boys in here still need me and mine to make life easier for 'em down on the docks, so' — he takes a short but meaningful pause — 'we agree to disagree.' 'Washington Black' — 2.5 stars (out of 4) Where to watch: Hulu
Axios
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Axios
New movies and shows this week on Netflix, Hulu and Paramount+
Here's what's new on Netflix, Hulu, Paramount+, Apple TV+ and Prime Video. What we're watching: The highly anticipated sequel to "Happy Gilmore," a new adventure series about a young "Black genius" and a documentary chronicling the history of hip-hop. " Happy Gilmore 2" available Friday on Netflix What's inside: This sequel, almost 30 years in the making, follows the titular character's comeback to the golf course with Ben Stiller, Julie Bowen and Christopher McDonald reprising their roles. What they're saying: "The chaos in golf, [how] the sport is changing, the different factions and different, wild ways you can play golf did inform the decision to make this movie now," director Kyle Newacheck tells Axios. " Washington Black" available now on Hulu State of play: Based on the novel of the same name, this series follows the 19th-century, globe-trotting adventure of an 11-year-old escaped slave and science prodigy. What they're saying: Executive producer Selwyn Seyfu Hinds tells Axios that while the story begins on a plantation, "Washington Black" is not about slavery. "This is a story about a Black genius," Hinds says. "This is a story about a kid who literally flies." " Hip Hop Was Born Here" available now on Paramount+ The intrigue: LL Cool J hosts this series that charts the history and legacy of hip-hop as a genre and cultural movement. Behind the scenes: Guest appearances include Big Daddy Kane, Doug E. Fresh, Jadakiss, Method Man, Rev Run and Roxanne Shanté. " Hitmakers" on Netflix Twelve songwriters and producers come together at high-stakes writing camps to create hits for stars like John Legend, Shaboozey, and Blackpink's Lisa in this new unscripted series. Available now " Trophy Wife: Murder on Safari" on Hulu The three-part docuseries dives into the case of former Pittsburgh dentist Larry Rudolph, convicted of killing his wife on an African hunting trip. Available now " Shiny Happy People: A Teenage Holy War" on Prime Video This chapter in the "Shiny Happy People" series uncovers the stories behind evangelical youth organization Teen Mania — founded by Ron Luce in the 1990s. The docuseries examines the group's disturbing practices and how its shift toward militant rhetoric and political activism created a ripple effect that can still be seen today. Available now " Acapulco" Season 4 on Apple TV+ The fourth and final season of this comedy follows present-day Máximo (played by Eugenio Derbez) as he works to restore Las Colinas before the grand reopening. In 1986, young Máximo (Enrique Arrizon) does whatever it takes to get Las Colinas back on top of the annual ranking of Acapulco's "Best Hotels." Available now " The Hunting Wives" on Netflix Brittany Snow stars in this new series based on the 2021 novel of the same name by May Cobb. Available now " Justice on Trial" on Prime Video Emmy-winning Judge Judy Sheindlin stars in this new series that re-examines landmark criminal cases that have directly shaped the American justice system. Available now " Trainwreck: P.I. Moms" on Netflix
Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Washington Black was inspired by a fascinating story from history
Washington Black has been a hit with viewers since it was released on Disney Plus and Hulu, is the series based on a true story? The gripping adventure drama Washington Black has hit the screens on Hulu and Disney Plus, chronicling the journey of the eponymous character Wash (played by Ernest Kingsley Jr) who is compelled to escape his homeland after a devastating death. Having l aunched on July 23, Washington Black unfolds in Barbados, the birthplace of George Washington "Wash" Black, born into the bonds of slavery. Set in the early 19th century, the tale follows Wash as he is taken under the protective wing of Medwin Harris (portrayed by Sterling K. Brown), who himself endured a harrowing childhood as a Black refugee in Nova Scotia. Based on a historical novel by Esi Edugyan, the author shared insights into what sparked the original story. Initially, her aim was to craft a narrative centred around the Tichborne case, a notorious and lengthy criminal trial from British history, reports the Express. Yet, she discovered that the characters "took on their own realities". Speaking to Black History Month, she revealed: " I understand now that it was the voice of its narrator that interested me, the complicated position he found himself in, racially, socially, intellectually." She drew from this initial concept to weave a tale about a young boy endowed with sensitivity and intellect, striving to find his place in a world where true belonging eludes him. Reflecting on her past works, Edugyan recognises a common theme: "Looking back at my previous novels, I see now how they are both preoccupied with aftermaths, with the reconstructing of lives after great suffering. Washington Black, as a post-slavery narrative, is no different. But it became what it is only very gradually, and on its own terms." The tale draws inspiration from the notorious British case of the Tichborne Claimant. Roger Tichbourne, a British noble from an affluent lineage, was lost at sea and presumed deceased. Upon learning that a man in Australia was purporting to be her missing son, his mother dispatched Andrew Bogle, an ex-slave from the Tichborne estate, to bring back the claimant. Victor Valley College revealed: "Andrew Bogle's life with the Tichbornes serves as the point of inspiration for Washington Black, with Edugyan creating a narrative of Bogle's life through the character, George Washington Black (played by Ernest Kingsley Jr), by capturing the complexity of the relationship between the colonizer and the colonized as well as depicting the tumultuous transition of becoming your own person." The novel delves deeply into scientific themes, particularly those concerning 19th-century aviation, and the author has opened up about her extensive research process. "Richard Holmes - one of the great historians of the possible - wrote a fascinating overview of hot-air ballooning called Falling Upwards. That was a trove of information," she disclosed during Black History Month. She confessed her captivation with historical science, ranging from groundbreaking discoveries and inventions to the rejection of outdated theories in favour of more accurate ones. Washington Black is available for streaming on Disney Plus and Hulu.
The Review Geek
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Has Washington Black been renewed for Season 2? Here's what we know:
Renewed Or Cancelled? Washington Black is the latest historical drama on Hulu, successfully adapting the book sporting the same name and adding plenty of human drama to book. So after watching it in its entirety, you may be wondering if this has been renewed or cancelled. Here's what we know: What is Washington Black about? Based on the book sporting the same name, the series follows the 19th century adventures of George Washington 'Wash' Black. This 11-year-old boy is forced to flee a Barbados sugar plantation after a gruesome death threatens to turn his life upside down. We have ongoing coverage of Washington Black on the site including recaps of every episode. You can find those HERE! Has Washington Black been renewed for season 2? At the time of writing, Washington Black has not been renewed for season 2. Generally Hulu would gauge numerous metrics before renewing a show, including how many people initially watch it and then looking at the drop-off rate. With some shows, cancellations or renewals happen quickly. Other times, it can take months before a decision over a show's future is made. So far, Murderbot has had a really good reaction from critics and audiences alike, with many commenting (including ourselves) that the plot and humour both work really well together. Given the way this show is set up, we're predicting that this will be renewed for a second season. The series does have plenty of potential and the ending certainly leaves the door open for more drama to follow. However, we could be completely wrong, given Hulu don't always renew every show, so take our prediction with a pinch of salt! What we know about season 2 so far: Barely anything is known about season 2 at this point as Hulu haven't officially renewed this one. Should it be renewed, we have some big questions. The final episode sees Wash and Tanna leaving Dahomey with their new-born daughter, whom they have named Nawi. As they leave in the airship, they discuss further adventures which could hint at a direction the show will take in the future. Interestingly, we also see Nawi as a young girl in the arms of her parents, which could be a good lead-in for where the story goes next. It seems unlikely but if this series is renewed, we'd expect it to be green-lit with another 8 episode order, and bring back a lot of the old cast too. Do you want to see Washington Black return for a second season? What did you think of the show? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
