Kenya’s Wanuri Kahiu is one of the directors of Hulu’s new series Washington Black, starring and executive produced by Emmy winner Sterling K. Brown (Paradise, This Is Us). The Rafiki helmer co-directs the series alongside Mo Marable, known for his work on Insecure, Killing It, Veep, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.
Based on the novel of the same name by Esi Edugyan, Washington Black follows George Washington “Wash” Black, a young boy who escapes slavery in 19th-century Barbados and embarks on a global journey of survival, self-discovery, and scientific exploration – guided by an unexpected mentor and pursued by those who want to silence his story.
The cast is led by Ernest Kingsley Jr. (War of the Worlds) as the older Wash, with Eddie Karanja (The Sandman) portraying his younger self. Sterling K. Brown stars as Medwin Harris, a self-made leader who takes Wash under his wing. The eight-episode series also features Tom Ellis (Lucifer), Edward Bluemel (A Discovery of Witches), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), Shaunette Renée Wilson (The Resident), and Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine (The Chi).
First announced in 2021, Washington Black will premiere on Hulu this July, marking Kahiu’s second Hollywood project after Netflix’s romantic comedy Look Both Ways, starring Lili Reinhart.
Several other Hollywood projects have been announced under Kahiu but are yet to materialise. She is attached to direct the Millie Bobby Brown-led film adaptation of the YA novel The Thing About Jellyfish. Kahiu is also set to direct a series adaptation of Octavia Butler’s Wild Seed for Amazon, co-writing the project alongside Nigerian author Nnedi Okorafor. The series is being developed by Viola Davis and Julius Tennon through their production company, JuVee Productions. In July 2020, it was also announced that Kahiu would direct a film adaptation of the stage musical Once on This Island for Disney.
Most recently, Kahiu executive produced Sarah, a coming-of-age film about traditions and gender rights within the Maa community, her first Kenyan project since her groundbreaking film Rafiki, which remains banned in Kenya. In January, she was selected as juror for the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition, alongside Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya and Cannes Critics’ Week artistic director Ava Cahen.
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