The historic case of The Central Park Five will be brought to life in a new dramatic limited series for Netflix created by Ava DuVernay, who will also write and direct. The narrative, five-episode series will be executive produced by Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King from Participant Media, Oprah Winfrey/Harpo Films, Jane Rosenthal and Berry Welsh from Tribeca Productions, and DuVernay.
“I had an extraordinary experience working with Netflix on 13TH and am overjoyed to continue this exploration of the criminal justice system as a narrative project with Cindy Holland and the team there,” said DuVernay. “The story of the men known as Central Park Five has riveted me for more than two decades. In their journey, we witness five innocent young men of color who were met with injustice at every turn–from coerced confessions to unjust incarceration to public calls for their execution by the man who would go on to be the President of the United States.”
“This is one of the most talked-about cases of our time and Ava’s passionate vision and masterful direction will bring the human stories behind the headlines to life in this series,” said Cindy Holland, VP, Original Content for Netflix. “After powerfully reframing the public conversation about criminality and injustice in 13TH, Ava now turns a new lens to a case that exposes deep flaws in our criminal justice system.”
Participant Media’s Jonathan King added, “It’s an honor to be partnering again with Ava, a uniquely tenacious and inspiring artist. The events of this shocking story continue to resonate today, and the way Ava has chosen to focus intimately on the five young men foregrounds the human costs of this kind of tragedy. We are looking forward to working with Netflix, Tribeca and Harpo on Participant’s first scripted episodic series.”
Based on the true story that gripped New York and the world, the scripted series exposes the breakdown of our criminal justice system at every phase of the notorious Central Park Five case. Each part will focus on one of the five teenagers from Harlem–Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise–wrongly convicted of raping Trisha Meili in Central Park. The series will span from the spring of 1989, when each were first questioned about the incident, to 2014 when they were exonerated and a settlement was reached with the city of New York.
Director Paul Feig’s “Another Simple Favor,” With Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick, To Open SXSW
"Another Simple Favor," Paul Feig's sequel to his 2018 noir comedy starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, will open the SXSW Film and TV Festival.
Organizers of the Austin, Texas, festival announced Tuesday that the long-awaited "A Simple Flavor" sequel will kick of this year's edition on March 7. The Amazon MGM release plots another twist-filled round of murder and betrayal, with Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) and Emily Nelson (Lively) heading to an Italy wedding on Capri.
"When we saw this film last fall, we instantly knew it had to open SXSW — it gave us that electric feeling we live for as programmers," said Claudette Godfrey, festival vice president, in a statement.
SXSW has hosted Feig's films before, including a work-in-progress screening of "Bridesmaids" in 2011 and the premiere of "Spy" in 2015.
The premiere of "Another Simple Favor" will be Lively's first new movie since last year's "It Ends With Us" and the subsequent legal drama involving Lively and that film's director and co-star, Justin Baldoni.
In late December, Lively sued Baldoni, his production company and others for sexual harassment and attacks on her reputation and sought unspecified damages. Baldoni sued last month, accusing Lively and her husband, "Deadpool" actor Ryan Reynolds, of defamation and extortion and seeking at least $400 million in damages.
A trial date of March 2026 has been set.
SXSW previously announced another opening night premiere: the upcoming Seth Rogen Hollywood comedy series "The Studio." The film festival, now in its 32nd year, runs March 7-14.
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