Preview — The Big Cigar: The True Story of a Fake Movie and A High Stakes Escape
Joshuah Bearman is returning to familiar territory for Apple TV+’s new limited series, The Big Cigar.
The Big Cigar is the true story of The Black Panthers’ founder, Huey P. Newton’s escape to Cuba in the 1970s. Newton, who was the target of the FBI and about to be tried for murder, enlists the help of Easy Rider producer Bert Schneider to make his escape.
From there, a plan is devised to get Newton out of the country under the guise of an elaborate but fake film production for a film called The Big Cigar.
If that premise sounds familiar, you are probably thinking about Argo, the Academy Award-winning movie based on Bearman’s other article about how the CIA rescued diplomats from Iran under the pretense of filming a fake sci-fi movie.
It’s almost unbelievable that a fake movie production could be used to facilitate a high-stakes escape at all, let alone twice. In this case, however, truth is stranger than fiction, providing another opportunity to explore political history through the lens of a wild Hollywood story.
The Big Cigar is also not Apple’s first foray into historical dramas. The series follows Apple’s other limited series, Manhunt, and Franklin, which both came out earlier this year.
Janine Sherman Barrois (Claws, Self-Made) is the series showrunner, while Don Cheadle, also an Executive Director for the show, directs the first two episodes.
Check out the photos and promo video below for a preview!
Episode description: Based on the magazine article by Joshuah Bearman (“Argo”), who will also serve as executive producer, “The Big Cigar” is the incredible true story of Hollywood revolution meeting social revolution: it’s a wild caper of Black Panther founder Huey P. Newton escaping from the FBI to Cuba with the assistance of famed producer Bert Schneider in an impossibly elaborate plan — involving a fake movie production — that goes wrong every way it possibly can. And somehow, it’s all true. Mostly.
Photos from The Big Cigar:
Promo video:
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What are your hopes for The Big Cigar? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
The Big Cigar premieres Friday, May 17 on Apple TV+.
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Sarah Fields
Sarah is an obsessive geek who likes to get into the weeds and over think things. She is passionate about Sci-Fi and comics and is a giant classic film nerd. Sarah cares deeply about media representation and the power of telling diverse stories. When she's not writing or watching her favorite shows she spends her days working in the non-profit world trying to make life a little better for those that need some extra help.