Samuel L. Jackson’s latest project, a docuseries which is looking to shed new light on 400 years of human trafficking from Africa to the New World, has set its premiere date.
Titled “Enslaved,” the six-part Epix series will premiere Sept. 14 in the U.S., and on Oct. 18 on CBC in Canada. The series uses a DNA test to identify Jackson’s ancestral tribe and trace his personal journey from the U.S. to Gabon for his induction into the Benga tribe. It was originally slated to debut this summer.
Each episode follows three separate story lines: Jackson’s personal story, the quest for a sunken slave ship, and a historical investigation led by investigative journalists Simcha Jacobovici and Afua Hirsch.
Earlier this year, Variety caught up with Hirsch to discuss the series, described as the most comprehensive un-scripted project ever to cover the transatlantic slave trade, and the significance of having Jackson on board.
“By involving Samuel L. Jackson — that instantly appeals to a completely new demographic, younger audiences familiar with his incredibly vast catalogue of movies,” Hirsch said. “But also the archaeological element, the adventure of it, the dives and the mystery solving as well as the the storytelling and the travelling, I think it’s so many things. That’s really important because this is everybody’s shared history. Our world as we know it would not exist without this history. There is no British or American or South American or African person who was not touched by this history.”
Jacobovici serves as director and executive producer, alongside Jackson, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Eli Selden, Rob Lee, Ric Esther Bienstock, Sarah Sapper and Yaron Niski. Producers on the project include Ric Esther Bienstock, Sarah Sapper and Felix Golubev.
“Enslaved” is a Canada/U.K. co-production between Toronto-based Associated Producers and London-based Cornelia Street Productions. It is produced in association with Anonymous Content, along with UppiTV, Samuel and LaTanya Jackson’s production company. Fremantle holds the global distribution rights.
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