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John Boyega stars in first look at new BBC drama Small Axe

Photo credit: Slaven Vlasic - Getty Images
Photo credit: Slaven Vlasic - Getty Images

From Digital Spy

Star Wars actor John Boyega stars in the first official look at 12 Years a Slave director Steve McQueen's anthology drama Small Axe, five years after the project was first announced.

The mini-series will tell five stories from within London's West Indian community between the 1960s and 1980s, and Boyega stars in the episode 'Red, White and Blue', in which he portrays real-life Metropolitan Police officer Leroy Logan.

You can check out Boyega as Logan in the first-look image below.

Photo credit: McQueen Limited/Will Robson-Scott - BBC
Photo credit: McQueen Limited/Will Robson-Scott - BBC

Related: Star Wars' John Boyega says he has "moved on" from the franchise

Logan set out to change the Met Police from within after witnessing his father being assaulted by two policemen, and went on to receive an MBE in 2001 for his role in developing anti-racist policies for the police.

He retired as a superintendent in 2013 after a 30-year career in the force.

Boyega's episode was co-written by Courttia Newland and Steve McQueen, and also stars Steve Toussaint, Tyrone Huntley, Nathan Vidal and Jaden Oshenye, Deadline reports.

Meanwhile, the publication also adds that the other four films in the mini-series will be titled 'Mangrove', 'Lovers Rock', 'Alex Wheatle' and 'Education' – the first two of which were selected as part of the Cannes Film Festival line-up earlier this year.

Photo credit: Ian West/PA Wire/Press Association Images
Photo credit: Ian West/PA Wire/Press Association Images

Related: Star Wars director JJ Abrams says he'll be "begging" to work with John Boyega after Black Lives Matter speech

Back in June, McQueen was critical of the UK entertainment industry for its "shameful" lack of diversity and representation.

"Last year, I visited a TV-film set in London. It felt like I had walked out of one environment, the London I was surrounded by, into another, a place that was alien to me," he said.

"I could not believe the whiteness of the set. I made three films in the States and it seems like nothing has really changed in the interim in Britain. The UK is so far behind in terms of representation, it's shameful."

Small Axe is set to premiere on BBC and Amazon later this year.


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