New York Comic-Con attendees will be among the first to see “Underground” – WGN America’s "heroic actioner" and "high-stakes thriller" as the press release from the network calls it. I’ve always thought it was going to be more of a straight drama than an "actioner" or "high-stakes thriller." But given the subject matter, that’s certainly doable.
That said, 2015 New York Comic-Con attendees will get a first-look screening at the series, which will be followed by a panel with the cast and creators, on Sunday, October 11.
Hailing from creators Misha Green ("Sons of Anarchy," "Heroes") and Joe Pokaski ("Daredevil," "Heroes"), and executive producer John Legend, “Underground," set in 1857, follows a courageous 25-year-old slave named Noah who organizes a small group of fellow slaves on Macon Plantation, with the goal of escaping to the Underground Railroad and to freedom. The odds of success are slim; the plantation’s terrain is unforgiving, and their politically ambitious owner, Tom Macon, will surely kill anyone attempting to run. For those who make it off the plantation, the risks and uncertainties only multiply. Pursued by professional slave hunters, they will have to decide which way to turn and whether or not they can trust the strangers who offer them help.
Playing Noah is Aldis Hodge, who is described as a brave, driven and insanely clever field slave. And on the other side of the fight is Reed Diamond, who plays Tom Macon, the plantation owner and political candidate.
Joining both gentlemen are: Jurnee Smollett-Bell as Rosalee, a shy house slave with a powerful inner strength and courage; Christopher Meloni is August Pullman, a mysterious figure who walks a tightrope between morality and survival; Jessica de Gouw is Elizabeth Hawkes, a socialite who shares her husband’s abolitionist ideals; Alano Miller plays Cato, a cunning, charismatic man despised and feared by his fellow slaves; Adina Porter plays Pearly Mae, a strong-willed wife and mother; Amirah Vann is Ernestine, a fiercely devoted mother and head house slave; Marc Blucas is John Hawkes, a lawyer whose ideals clash with the legislation he’s sworn to uphold; Mykelti Williamson plays Moses, a fiery preacher;; and finally Johnny Ray Gil as Sam, Rosalee’s brother and a talented carpenter.
The project hails from Sony Pictures Television and Tribune Studios, and is set for a 2016 premiere on WGN America.
The New York Comic-Con screening and panel is set for Sunday, October 11 at 2:45 pm, in Room 1A06 at the Javitz Center in New York.
