BET has found the primary cast for its Boomerang reboot from Lena Waithe and Halle Berry.
Tequan Richmond of Everybody Hates Chris fame will be the male lead alongside relative newcomer Tetona Jackson, who will be the female lead. Leland D. Martin and social media star Lala Milan will also be series regulars.
Initially developed as a reboot of the 1992 film starring Eddie Murphy, Berry and Robin Givens, it is now described as a sequel in the form of a series. The description: The series will follow the lives of Jacqueline Boyer’s (Givens) son and Marcus (Murphy) and Angela Graham’s (Berry) daughter as they attempt to step out of their parents’ shadows and make a legacy of their own.
Here are their official character descriptions per BET:
Richmond’s character is Bryson. Described as “resourceful, tough and charming. Raised by a single mother, he’s self-assured and doesn’t hide his vulnerability. Every bit as driven as Simone, Bryson wants to make his mark on this world.”
Jackson’s character is Simone. Described as “privileged, beautiful, cool and driven to a fault. She has an easy confidence that she inherited from her father, but a down-to-earth, chill vibe, which she inherited from her mother. The shadow of both her parents looms large, and she is eager to step out of it and make a name for herself.”
Martin’s character is Ari. Described as “a digital producer with big dreams. He is handsome, charming, effortlessly confident and has an edge and swagger that is completely disarming. Ari doesn’t believe in labels. He’s an equal opportunist when it comes to dating.
Milan’s character is Tia. Described as “a misguided performance artist with high ambitions. She is a classically trained dancer who wants to topple the patriarchy. She’s charismatic and wildly unique. Tia is an activist at heart, but she doesn’t mind being a little ratchet every now and then.
Waithe and Berry are executive producers. Waithe wrote the pilot with Ben Cory Jones (Insecure, Underground), and Dime Davis will direct the pilot. Jones is an EP and the showrunner.
The series is expected to debut in 2019.
Richmond has kept busy since Everybody Hates Chris, starring in the soap opera General Hospital since 2012, where he has been nominated for Outstanding Younger Actor in Drama Series three times. He also starred in the D.C. sniper saga film Blue Caprice, which bowed at Sundance, as well as the Hulu series All Night. Jackson also starred in All Night.
