Just over a year ago, Netflix announced acclaimed director Ava DuVernay (Selma, 13th) would produce, write, and direct a new limited series title Central Park Five. The limited series would concern the infamous 1989 Central Park jogger case that is commonly referred to as the “Central Park Five” for the five minority male suspects who were falsely accused, charged and convicted of the rape and assault of Trisha Meili. On Monday, the streaming giant revealed the show’s impressive cast.
Michael K. Williams (The Wire), Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air) and John Leguizamo (John Wick) will all feature in prominent roles for Central Park Five. Williams will play Bobby McCray, the father of Antron McCray, one of the five men accused of assaulting Meili. Legiozamo will occupy a similar role as Raymond Santana Sr., the father of accused teenager Raymond Santana Jr. Farmiga, meanwhile, will play Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Lederer, who served as the lead prosecutor on the case.
Netflix also released an official synopsis for the series, which will consist solely of four episodes:
Based on a true story that gripped the country, Central Park Five will chronicle the notorious case of five teenagers of color who were convicted of a rape they did not commit. The episodes will focus on the five teenagers from Harlem — Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise. 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.
Central Park Five is slated to debut sometime in 2019.
