Olli Haaskivi (“Oppenheimer”) is the latest actor to join Apple TV+’s six-episode Huey P. Newton series, “The Big Cigar,” in a recurring role, reports Deadline.
He joins an ensemble fronted by André Holland, which also includes the previously announced Alessandro Nivola, Tiffany Boone, PJ Byrne, Marc Menchaca, Jordane Christie and Moses Ingram. Haaskivi will play Artie Ross, the screenwriter behind such titles as “Brubaker” and “The Creature from the Black Lagoon,” who was at one point blacklisted as the Red Scare infiltrated Hollywood.
Haaskivi has previously appeared on such series as “Queer as Folk,” “Winning Time,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” “The Plot Against America,” and “Manifest.”
About ‘The Big Cigar’
“The Big Cigar” is a six-episode limited series executive produced and written by Jim Hecht (“Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty”), and executive produced and showrun by NAACP Image Award winner Janine Sherman Barrois (“Claws,” “The Kings of Napa”).
Holland (“The Eddy,” “Moonlight”) will star as Black Panther leader Huey P. Newton. Christie will play Newton’s friend and Black Panther Party co-founder, Bobby Seale, who bonded with Newton over repeated incarcerations and infiltration by the FBI before deciding to leave the Party.
Here’s how the limited series is described: The Big Cigar” tells the extraordinary, hilarious, almost-too-good-to-be-true story of how Newton relied on his best friend, Bert Schneider, the Hollywood producer behind “Easy Rider,” to elude a nationwide manhunt and escape to Cuba while being pursued into exile by the FBI.
Don Cheadle (the Avengers movies, “No Sudden Move,” “Black Monday,” “House of Lies”) is on board to direct and executive produce the first two episodes. The limited series is based on the eponymous magazine article from Joshuah Bearman (“Argo”), who will also serve as executive producer.
About Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL, and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $4.99 per month with a seven-day free trial.
For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.For more information, visit apple.com/tvpr and see the full list of supported devices.
