OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network unveiled last night and released today from Sundance the first teaser trailer and official key art for its anticipated new drama series, “David Makes Man,” from Academy Award winner Tarell Alvin McCraney (“Moonlight”) and Warner Horizon Scripted Television. McCraney serves as executive producer of the series alongside Dee Harris-Lawrence (“Shots Fired,” “Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.,”) who serves as showrunner. Mike Kelley and Melissa Loy (“Revenge,”) under their Page Fright production banner, Michael B. Jordan (“Creed”) via his Outlier Society Productions and Oprah Winfrey are also executive producers.
Watch the trailer HERE
“David Makes Man” centers on a 14-year-old prodigy from the projects who is haunted by the death of his closest friend and relied on by his hardworking mother to find a way out of poverty. He must choose between the streets that raised him or the higher education that may offer him a way out. Set in South Florida, the series is inspired by events in McCraney’s own life and explores childhood trauma and the power of imagination to survive.
OWN partnered with The Blackhouse Foundation as the Presenting Sponsor for the foundation’s 12th year of programming with the Sundance Film Festival. The Blackhouse Foundation works to expand opportunities for Black content creators by providing pathways to opportunities for minority creatives to learn about the financial, production, marketing and distribution resources that will raise the profile of their content, while also providing participants with a nucleus for continuing support, community, and education.
On Friday, January 25, OWN and The Blackhouse Foundation hosted an intimate clips and conversation for “David Makes Man” moderated by The Blackhouse Co-Founder, Brickson Diamond and featuring series creator Tarell Alvin McCraney, executive producer Michael B. Jordan, showrunner/executive producer Dee Harris-Lawrence, and cast Akili McDowell (David), Alana Arenas (Gloria) and Phylicia Rashad (Dr. Woods-Trap). The series is set for a summer 2019 premiere on OWN.
“When we looked at the spectrum of life, we wanted to show it as true as it is today, as it was then. There’s a lexicon of things in our [African American community] that need to be seen and talked about,” said Tarell Alvin McCraney.
“[In this series], we offer a view of humanity. The characters in this show, they’re not all like me…but, I [still] see myself in all of them because that’s what it means to be human,” said Phylicia Rashad.
*Cover Photo: From L-R: Brickson Diamond, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Dee Harris-Lawrence, Akili McDowell, Alana Arenas, Phylicia Rashad, and Michael B. Jordan. Photo Credit: Erik Umphery