New series ‘The Big Cigar’ follows Huey P. Newton’s escape to Cuba

From directors Don Cheadle, Tiffany Johnson and Damon Thomas, limited series ‘The Big Cigar’ tells the story of Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton. When Newton must escape to Cuba, he enlists the help of unlikely acquaintance Bert Schneider — the Hollywood producer behind ‘Easy Rider.’ The six episodes follow Newton (André Holland) as he puts Schneider (Alessandro Nivola) to the test before trusting him with his life. ‘The Big Cigar’ is inspired by executive producer Joshuah Bearman’s Playboy article of the same name.

Chicago actor Inny Plemons stars in the series as Richard Pryor, revered comedian and friend of Newton. Plemons sat down with Vocalo’s resident film critic Reggie Ponder to discuss how he got the role and the intentions behind the series.

The first episode of ‘The Big Cigar’ premiered on May 17 on Apple TV+. Follow Reggie “The Reel Critic” Ponder on Instagram and X @thereelcritic.