The Channel 4 and HBO co-production of Get Millie Black will also see Tanya Hamilton direct.
Get Millie Black, produced by Motive Pictures, is a vivid, unflinching, and gripping six-part crime noir, that follows the inimitable Millie-Jean Black, a police detective forced to quit Scotland Yard and return home to Jamaica, where she is soon pursuing a missing person case that threatens to expose more than she may be willing to confront.
Simon Maxwell, CEO, Motive Pictures and Executive Producer:
“We are immensely proud to announce such a stellar line-up of talent on Get Millie Black – from directors Tanya Hamilton and Annetta Laufer, to writers Theresa Ikoko, Lydia Adetunji and Joshua St Johnston, to a cast that showcases some of the most exciting acting talents from Jamaica and the UK, led by Tamara Lawrance, Joe Dempsie, Gershwyn Eustache Jnr and a debut performance destined to electrify audiences from rising Kingston star, Chyna McQueen.”
The series, which also stars Joe Dempsie, Gershwyn Eustache Jnr and Chyna McQueen, marks the screenwriting debut of Booker Prizewinning author Marlon James. Production began this week in Jamaica, with additional shooting in London to come.
Marlon James’ Get Millie Black is a true original; a vivid, blistering slice of contemporary noir driven by a truly iconic woman, the formidable Millie-Jean Black. Returning to her roots from her troubled life in London, to work missing persons cases for the Jamaican police force, Millie soon picks up the trail of an investigation that begins in the steaming streets of downtown Kingston and works its way up to the hill plantations of the post-colonial elite. Events eventually explode onto the international stage, propelling Millie back to the UK, where pretty soon everyone is out to get Millie Black.
Marlon James has created a deeply personal and wholly authentic version of a Jamaica never seen on screen before. Get Millie Black explores the troubled legacy of racism, slavery, sexuality, classism and cycles of trauma in the post-colonial landscape of Britain and Jamaica, always told through the unique perspective of Millie – a girl born on the Rock, raised in London, who claims to be both British and Jamaican, yet somehow belongs to neither place. It is a story peopled by a host of unforgettable characters; transgender ‘gully queen’ Hibiscus, the sibling Millie left behind; her brilliant partner on the Jamaican police force, Curtis, who is forced to keep his love life secret from his colleagues; game-playing Scotland Yard Inspector Luke Holborn; and Hit Girl, go-go-club owner and underworld entrepreneur.
Marlon James, Creator and Executive Producer:
“This is the first major international TV show to put my home country, Jamaica, centre stage, so it’s beyond awesome to have actual world-class Jamaican talent both in front and behind the camera, with our star Tamara Lawrance and Director Tanya Hamilton.”
A BAFTA’s ‘Breakthrough Talent 2020’, Tamara Lawrance’s film Silent Twins, in which she stars and executive produces, debuts in Un Certain Regard at Cannes this year. Tanya Hamilton, a Sundance Institute writing and directing fellow is the writer/director of the award-winning film Night Catches Us.
