According to Deadline, Jason Alan Carvel (NCIS: New Orleans) has been cast in the starring role of Malcolm X in the third season of the Epix drama series Godfather of Harlem. This week in New York, the series’ production will get underway.
Carvel had parts in programmes like NCIS: New Orleans and ABC’s The Baker and the Beauty in addition to providing the voice narration for documentaries like Ancient Skies and Africa’s Deadliest. As he assumes this job, it will be intriguing to watch what he does with such a well-known historical character. Carvel will play the part as the character finds himself in danger from the NYPD, CIA, and FBI in addition to difficulty from prior associates.
The criminal thriller, which is set in the 1960s in Harlem, New York, chronicles the life of Bumpy Johnson as he makes his way back to his old haunts after serving ten years in prison. The Genovese crime family, an affiliate of the Italian mob, now controls the area, which is in complete disarray. As he attempts to regain control and restore his region to its former splendour throughout the decade’s social turmoil and mob wars, which threatened to split the entire city apart, Bumpy develops an alliance with notable figure Malcolm X.
Nigél Thatch, who played Malcolm X in the 2014 Oscar-nominated film Selma and in Seasons 1 and 2 of the Epix television series, will be replaced by Carvel. He will work alongside other brilliant cast members including Giancarlo Esposito, Vincent D’Onofrio, Ilfenesh Hadera, Lucy Fry, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, and Forrest Whitaker, who also acts as the show’s executive producer.
Along with Swizz Beats serving as executive music producer, other executive producers of the show include Nina Yang Bongiovi, James Acheson, Markuann Smith, Joe Chappelle, and the show’s creators, Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein. Godfather of Harlem’s production company is ABC Signature, a division of Disney Television Studios.
Carvel joins a distinguished and gifted group of performers, including Denzel Washington (Malcolm X), James Earl Jones (The Greatest), Morgan Freeman (Death of a Prophet), and others, who have played Malcolm X in previous media projects.
It will be fascinating to watch how Carvel portrays Malcolm X as such a significant historical figure in the midst of the social upheaval and turbulence of the time. Malcolm X was a Muslim preacher and human rights advocate who was a key figure in the civil rights movement and served as the Nation of Islam’s spokesperson at the time. He mixed Black empowerment with Islamic teachings. It will be intriguing to watch how Godfather of Harlem resurrects this character for the big screen.
