Last December, CBC and BET+ announced the greenlighting of their new original series THE PORTER. Well, today they announced that production on the Inferno Pictures and Sienna Films produced series has begun in Winnipeg. Production will continue until mid-September.
Set in the roaring 20’s, THE PORTER tells the story of the Black community in Montreal’s St. Antoine neighbourhood, known at the time as the “Harlem of the North”. It follows two Black train porters, one who goes on to create the first Black labour union in existence and the other who turns to a life of crime in the pursuit of freedom and power. In the end, their goals are the same – to free themselves and their families from oppression, ultimately igniting the North American civil rights movement.
For producer, Annmarie Morais, the series is about the dreams and aspirations of Black people.
“THE PORTER is more than a healthy dose of history. It’s a bold, sexy, unapologetic look at Black ambition.”
The series stars Oluniké Adeliyi (Titans, American Gods) as Queenie, the seductive and ruthless Chicago crime boss, Loren Lott (American Idol, Tag) as Lucy the talented, ambitious and spotlight hungry performer who join Aml Ameen (I May Destroy You, Yardie), Ronnie Rowe Jr. (Star Trek: Discovery, Pretty Hard Cases) and Mouna Traoré (Self Made, The Umbrella Academy) to round out the cast. Charles Officer (Akilla’s Escape, Coroner) and R.T. Thorne (Blindspot, Utopia Falls) will direct and executive produce the series.
This isn’t the first partnership of sorts for the networks. In April 2020, BET+ acquired the Entertainment One produced CBC drama Diggstown starring Toronto-born actress Vinessa Antoine.
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