‘The Central Park Five’ Coming to Netflix in 2019: What We Know

A five-part drama series is coming to Netflix in 2019 that looks to recount the now notorious case of five teenagers convicted of a rape which they didn’t commit. It’s been in development for a while and here’s what we know about the series before its release next year.

What’s the series about?

The series looks to recreate the events of the criminal case of “The Central Park Five.” Five African-Americans were blamed for the rape and assault of a jogger in Central Park in Manhatten, New York.

The series isn’t a documentary as much as a dramatization of the story. If you’re looking for a documentary, Ken Burns released one in 2012.

What number of episodes are there?

While IMDb reports four episodes, Season 1 of Central Park Five actually has five.

Who’s behind the series?

Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for TIDAL

Ava DuVerney will produce the limited series. She is a veteran of both TV and movie industry. She’s served as a producer, director, and writer and she’ll be appearing as all three on The Central Park Five. Some of the credits to her name include Selma (currently on Netflix UK), A Wrinkle in Time (currently on Netflix US) and Middle of Nowhere.

This isn’t her first project with Netflix either. Her involvement in 13th (2016), a Netflix Original documentary that won an Oscar nomination, was also noteworthy.

Central Park Five

An assortment of actors and actresses were selected to play the role. The casting for the title was revealed earlier this year. There’s a few you’ll definitely recognise but others who may not have been on your radar.

Netflix’s Twitter account called “Strong Black Lead” also Tweeted back in August with the names of additional actresses involved in the project.

Below are some other tweets by cast members announcing or showing progress on the series.

https://twitter.com/TheFilmCulture/status/1058565175312351233

You can see a full cast list available on IMDb.

Is the series still in production?

It was announced for the first time in the summer 2017 and has been developing since then. Casting was complete in July 2018. The filming started in August 2018, and was completed in November 2018.

Is Donald Trump coming to the event?

Donald Trump is the US President currently. This story has been discussed a lot in recent years. This is because people often claim that the US President is racist.

Although no actor is currently available to portray the real estate mogul in this series, he might be mentioned briefly or play a part in future episodes.

It’s also worth mentioning that Ava on Twitter has mentioned Donald Trump by name when referring to her new title.

Additional photos from this series

Marquis Rodriguez in Central Park Five

Vera Farmiga in Central Park Five

Interrogation scene in Central Park Five

Is there a second season of The Central Park Five's?

No. As we’ve stated above, this is a limited series. Netflix has produced several of these in the past and hasn’t ever gone back on their word in producing a second season. Given the show is following real-world events, it’s safe to assume the entire story will be covered in Season 1.

What date will this series air on Netflix?

As of now, no release date has been set. With production now finished, we’re expecting it to release in early 2019.

Do you look forward to the new series? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments.