Ava DuVernay’s Netflix Series Gets a New Name and Release Date

By
Belle W
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Ava DuVernay. Photo by Mark Von Holden/Variety/REX/Shutterstock (9663566l)

Ava DuVernay’s Netflix ‘Central Park Five’ series has a new title and a debut date. 

Multiple outlets report that DuVernay’s upcoming limited series for the streaming giant based on the true story of false prosecutions in New York City is titled When They See Us. The four-part series will debut on the streaming on May 31. 

The news was confirmed by DuVernay herself. “In 1989, five black and brown teen boys were wrongly accused of a crime they did not commit and branded The Central Park Five, a moniker that has followed them since that time. In 2019, our series gives the five men a platform to finally raise their voices and tell their full stories,” DuVernay said.

She continued: “In doing so, Korey, Antron, Raymond, Kevin and Yusef also tell the story of many young people of color unjustly ensnared in the criminal justice system. We wanted to reflect this perspective in our title, embracing the humanity of the men and not their politicized moniker.”

DuVernay also shared the first teaser of the series on Twitter Friday morning, captioning the video, “Not thugs. Not wilding. Not criminals. Not even the Central Park Five. They are Korey, Antron, Raymond, Yusef, Kevin. They are millions of young people of color who are blamed, judged and accused on sight. May 31. A film in four parts about who they really are. WHEN THEY SEE US.”

When They See Us is directed by DuVernay from her own script. It stars Michael K. Williams, Vera Fermiga and John Leguizamo. Also starring are Felicity Huffman, Niecy Nash, Blair Underwood, Christopher Jackson, Joshua Jackson, Kylie Bunbury and Storm Reid, among others.