Ernest Kingsley Jr. stars as the courageous and intelligent George Washington Black alongside Sterling K. Brown in the new Hulu series, Washington Black.

The trailer gives a more expansive look at this series, which breathes new life into tales about Black people in the 1800s. Kinglsey plays the adult version of Black, with Eddie Karanja playing Black as a child enslaved in Barbados. His keen intellect, as well as witnessing a gruesome tragedy, is what launches his story to Halifax and beyond.

What is ‘Washington Black’ about?

According to the series description:

Based on the bestselling novel of the same name, Washington Black follows the 19th-century odyssey of George Washington “Wash” Black, an eleven-year-old boy born on a Barbados sugar plantation, whose prodigious scientific mind sets him on a path of unexpected destiny. When a harrowing incident forces Wash to flee, he is thrust into a globe-spanning adventure that challenges and reshapes his understanding of family, freedom and love. As he navigates uncharted lands and impossible odds, Wash finds the courage to imagine a future beyond the confines of the society he was born into.

Brown also executive produces. The rest of the main cast includes Rupert Graves, Iola Evans, Edward Bluemel, Sharon Duncan-Brewster and Tom Ellis.

Indian Meadows Productions and The Gotham Group produce along with 20th Television Production. Other executive producers include showrunners Selwyn Seyfu Hinds and Kimberly Ann Harrison and Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Wanuri Kahiu, Mo Marable, Rob Seidenglanz, Jeremy Bell, Lindsay Williams, D.J. Goldberg, Jennifer Johnson, and Anthony Hemingway. Esi Edguyan, the author of Washington Black, serves as co-producer.

When does ‘Washington Black’ premiere?

The series debuts on Hulu on July 23.