Steve McQueen’s Small Axe has quietly become one of the most interesting new series to watch out for. McQueen’s name alone already carried enough weight but Wednesday it was reported that Letitia Wright and John Boyega are set to join the cast. But wait, there’s more because that cast includes British stars such as Malachi Kirby, Shaun Parkes, Rochenda Sandall, Alex Jennings, and Jack Lowden.
McQueen created the anthology series along with Alastair Siddons and Courttia Newland. The show takes place in London’s West Indian community, starting in the 60s and ending sometime in the 80s. It is a six-part series that will tell five different, but likely intertwined, stories across those 20ish years. McQueen got the name of the series from a Jamaican proverb: “If you are the big tree, we are the small axe.”
“I felt these stories needed to be shared,” McQueen told Variety. “I wanted to relive, reevaluate and investigate the journeys that my parents and the first generation of West Indians went on to deliver me here today calling myself a black British person. What’s important about our stories is that they are local but at the same time global.
“I think audiences will identify with the trials, tribulations, and joy of our characters as well as reflecting on the present environment in which we find ourselves,” McQueen added. “The dynamic nature of the series allows us to confront injustice in the face of adversity.”
Small Axe will air on the BBC in Britain. Amazon has secured the U.S. rights to the series.
