Netflix Drops The Full Trailer For Ava DuVernay’s Central Park Five Series 

Netflix has shared the full trailer for Ava DuVernay‘s series When They See Us, based on the true story of the Central Park Five. 

The four-part limited series focuses on the five teenagers of colour – dubbed the Central Park Five by the media – who were wrongfully convicted of beating and raping a white female jogger in Central Park in 1989. Their names are Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise.

When They See Us spans 25 years and will cover their exoneration in 2002 and the settlement reached in 2014.

In December of 2002, DNA evidence found the woman had been raped and beaten by another man, Matias Reyes, who confessed to committing the crime alone.

When They See Us was originally titled Central Park Five but was switched to the former title to embrace the “the humanity of the men and not their politicised moniker.” 

“In 2019, our series gives the five men a platform to finally raise their voices and tell their full stories,” DuVernay said in a statement. “In doing so, Korey, Antron, Raymond, Kevin and Yusef also tell the story of many young people of colour unjustly ensnared in the criminal justice system. We wanted to reflect this perspective in our title, embracing the humanity of the men and not their politicised moniker.”

Oprah Winfrey, Jeff Skoll, Jane Rosenthal, and Berry Welsh all served as executive producers with DuVernay.

Asante Blackk, Caleel Harris, Jharrel Jerome, Ethan Herisse, Marquis Rodriguez, Chris Chalk, Jovan Adepo, Justin Cunningham, Freddy Miyares, Niecy Nash, Michael Kenneth Williams, John Leguizamo, Dascha Polanco, Vera Farmiga, Felicity Huffman, Aunjanue Ellis, Blair Underwood, Famke Janssen, Joshua Jackson, and Storm Reid star.

“On this exact day [April 19] 30 years ago, a woman was raped in Central Park. Five black + brown boys were framed for her rape,” DuVernay tweeted upon the trailer’s release. “The story you know is the lie that police, prosecutors and Donald Trump told you, WHEN THEY SEE US is the story of the boys from their eyes and their hearts.”

In 1989, Donald Trump, a real-estate developer at the time, spent USD $85,000 on full-page ads in the The New York Times, The Daily News, The New York Post, and New York Newsday. The ad, signed by Trump was titled “Bring Back the Death Penalty, Bring Back Our Police!” 

”I want to hate these muggers and murderers,” Trump wrote. “‘They should be forced to suffer and, when they kill, they should be executed for their crimes.”

When They See Us will premiere May 31 on Netflix.