This Is Us‘s Sterling K. Brown will be starring in Hulu’s Washington Black.
Washington Black is based on Esi Edugyan novel of the same name and it will consist of nine episodes. The series will follow the 19th-century adventures of George Washington “Wash” Black, an 11-year old boy living on a Barbados sugar plantation who has to flee after a shocking death threatens to ruin his life.
Brown will be playing Medwin Harris, who traveled the world after a traumatic childhood as a Black refugee in Nova Scotia as the de facto Mayor of Black Halifax prioritizes the community over everything but Washington Black, who’s his young protégé. This leads Black down a path of self-discovery.
Selwyn Seyfu Hinds is writing and executive producing the adaptation. In addition to starring in the series, Brown is executive producing. Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Jeremy Bell, Lindsay Williams, DJ Goldberg, Anthony Hemingway, and Jennifer Johnson are also executive producing. Edugyan will be co-producing the series.
“Washington Black inspires me!” said Brown via Variety. “This young man and the adventure he undertakes remind me of how the power of imagination and the creativity of artistry can transform the world in which we live. Selwyn Seyfu Hinds has taken the transcendent words of Esi Edugyan and created a spectacular universe that brings to fruition the power of possibility.”
This marks Brown’s first starring role since it was announced that This Is Us was ending with its sixth season. Brown was an Emmy and Golden Globe for this part.
