“Supacell” is a new sci-fi series that poses a simple question: what happens when a group of Black people mysteriously receive superpowers for no other reason than being Black?
Led by Tosin Cole (Bob Marley: One Love, House Party), the upcoming Netflix series is set in South London and follows the lives of a group of regular people who all surprisingly develop superpowers with no rhyme or reason other than the fact they all happen to be Black. The newly empowered clan then has to figure out how to go about their everyday lives as best as possible while also dealing with a group of shady government types who have taken note of their newfound abilities.
Creator and showrunner Andrew “Rapman” Onwubolu, a big Marvel and DC comics fan, said he created the series thinking, “if I got powers, my first thing wouldn’t be to go and buy a spandex outfit. I was thinking, ‘What can I use my powers for to put my family in a better position?'”
“As much as I love Marvel and DC, you know it’s going to work out in the end, but in our story you just don’t know what’s going to happen because it’s a grounded superpowers show,” Rapman said. “They are hero characters, but they’re all very flawed.”
In addition to running the show, Rapman will helm the director’s chair for several episodes alongside Sebastian Thiel. Adelayo Adedayo, Calvin Demb, Eric Kofi Abrefa, and Nadine Mills round out the cast.
The series is part of the Supacell Six initiative founded by Rapman in conjunction with New Wave and Netflix. This initiative gives six specially selected Black creators a chance to work alongside professionals in their chosen field to get a bird’ s-eye view from the inside and receive mentorship from professionals working in those industries.
“Supacell” is scheduled to debut on Netflix in early June.
See the official teaser trailer below.
