Small Axe Trailer: Letitia Wright Stars in Steve McQueen’s Anthology Series

August 7, 2020

Amazon Prime Video has released the first-look trailer for Oscar-winner Steve McQueen’s forthcoming anthology drama series titled Small Axe, providing us a preview of one of the episodes titled “Mangrove” which will be led by Black Panther star Letitia Wright. Based on true events, the trailer for the timely episode also comes in honor of the upcoming 50th anniversary of the Mangrove March which saw the unlawful arrest of nine Black activists. Check out the video in the player below!

Directed by McQueen from a script he co-wrote with Alastair Siddons, the official synopsis for the episode reads: “August 9th marks the 50th anniversary of the march of 150 protesters of West Indian, African and South Asian heritage in Notting Hill, West London who marched to local police stations in protest of police harassment in their communities including the Mangrove restaurant. Nine protest leaders were arrested and charged with incitement to riot: Frank Crichlow, Darcus Howe, Altheia Jones-LeCointe, Barbara Beese, Rupert Boyce, Rhodan Gordon, Anthony Innis, Rothwell Kentish and Godfrey Millett.

McQueen’s Mangrove tells this true story of the Mangrove 9, a group of Black activists who clashed with London police during a protest march in 1970, and the highly publicized trial that followed. The trial was the first judicial acknowledgment of behavior motivated by racial hatred within the Metropolitan Police.”

Small Axe is an anthology comprised of five original films set from the late 1960s to the mid 1980s that tell different stories involving London’s West Indian community, whose lives have been shaped by their own force of will despite rampant racism and discrimination. This title is derived from the African proverb, “If you are the big tree, we are the small axe.” The five films featured in addition to Mangrove are Lovers Rock, Alex Wheatle, Education and Red, White and Blue. It is also the title of a Bob Marley song from his album Catch a Fire.

The series stars Wright and John Boyega (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) along with Malachi Kirby (Roots), Shaun Parkes (Lost in Space), Rochenda Sandall (Line of Duty), Alex Jennings (Victoria) and Jack Lowden (Mary Queen of Scots).

Small Axe was created by McQueen alongside Alastair Siddons and Courttia Newland. Alex Wheatle is serving as a writing consultant. McQueen will also executive produce along with Tracey Scoffield and David Tanner for Turbine Studios. Turbine Studios is producing with Lammas Park, alongside Anita Overland and Mike Elliot for EMU Films. The series will premiere on BBC One with BBC Studios handling international distribution while Amazon has acquired the U.S. rights.