Netflix has never shied away from tackling difficult social issues with its shows, and it does not appear that it will be stopping anytime soon. Academy Award-nominated director Ava Duvanery will write and direct a miniseries based on the infamous case of the Central Park Five.
The yet-untitled limited series will center on the infamous case of five black men who were wrongfully convicted of raping a jogger in New York City’s Central Park during the spring of 1989. The series will consist of five parts, with each part serving as an exploration into how each of the five teenagers experienced the case.
As of press time, there are no actors attached to the untitled miniseries or a release date, but Duvanery is ready to put her passion on the screen. “The story of the men known as the 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.”” said DuVernay in a statement.
The five young men convicted — Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise — were released in 2002 after DNA proved they were not involved in the crime. This year marks the 15th anniversary of their release. The Netflix miniseries will cover the events of their lives from 1989 to 2014, when the five men won a $41 million settlement after suing New York City.
This will be the second project Duvanery will helm for the leader in on-demand video streaming. Duvanery’s 13th, the heartbreaking documentary on the racial disparities in the United States criminal justice system, debuted on Netflix in October 2016 and was nominated for best documentary feature at the 89th annual Academy Awards. “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,” said Cindy Holland, Netflix’s vice president of original content, in a statement.
This will not be all we see from Duvanery this year. She recently wrapped filming of the upcoming Disney movie A Wrinkle In Time starring Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling.
