The Big Cigar: Don Cheadle to direct limited series on Black Panther leader Huey P Newton

Warner Bros. Television and Apple TV+ are collaborating to develop a limited series on Black Panther leader Huey P Newton titled The Big Cigar, with actor Don Cheadle on board to direct.

Based on journalist Joshuah Bearman’s 2013 Playboy article The Big Cigar: How a Hollywood producer smuggled Huey Newton to Cuba, the series is written by Jim Hecht. The Big Cigar will tell the extraordinary, true story of Newton’s escape to Cuba with help from Hollywood producer Bert Schnider, as the FBI leads a nationwide manhunt to catch him. Moonlight-star Andre Holland is set to play Newton in the series.

Cheadle will direct and executive produce the first two episodes of the six-episode series. Janine Sherman Barrois will serve as the showrunner. Sherman Barrois and Hecht will executive produce the series under their Folding Chair Production with Bearman, Joshua Davis, and Arthur Spector also executive producing under their production company Epic.

Notably, Cheadle has previously directed episodes of the hit series House of Lies. Holland previously played a historical figure (as Andrew Young) in 2014's Selma.