Hulu released a trailer for its upcoming adaptation of Charmaine Wilkerson’s novel “Black Cake” on Monday.
The generational saga, which comes from showrunner and executive producer Marissa Jo Cerar, combines a murder mystery with family drama. The first three episodes of “Black Cake” release Nov. 1 on Hulu. After the premiere, new episodes will release every Wednesday through Dec. 6.
“I’m sorry. Don’t hate me,” Adrienne Warren’s Benny says as she rushes into an office where her brother Byron (Ashley Thomas) already sits waiting for her. “I had car stuff and then I couldn’t find my keys.”
“You don’t get to just blow in here acting like you care all of a sudden,” Thomas’ Byron responds coldly.
“I’m not acting,” Benny replies. “Ma’s dead.”
“Read the will, please,” is all Byron says in return.
Based on The New York Times-bestselling book, “Black Cake” sets a diverse cast of characters in settings around the globe. The story takes place in Jamaica, Rome, Scotland, England and Southern California.
Cerar wrote the adaptation, which spans decades. According to the show’s official logline, a runaway bride named Covey (Mia Isaac) disappears into the surf off the coast of Jamaica in the late 1960s. She is feared drowned or a fugitive on the run for her husband’s murder. Fifty years later in California, a widow named Eleanor Bennett (Chipo Chung) loses her battle with cancer, leaving her two estranged children, Byron and Benny, a flash drive that holds previously untold stories of her journey from the Caribbean to America. These stories, narrated by Eleanor, shock her children and challenge everything they thought they knew about their family’s origin.
“Your mother rarely spoke of her childhood,” says Glynn Turman’s character to the siblings.
“She never spoke of it,” Benny says. “She always dodged our questions.”
“Well, in the end, he decided to talk,” Turman says back, holding up the flash drive.
The series is executive produced by Oprah Winfrey, Aaron Kaplan, Carla Gardini, Brian Morewitz, Charmaine Wilkerson and Michael Lohmann. “Black Cake” is a Two Drifters, ABC Signature, Harpo Films and Kapital Entertainment production.
“I promised myself I would take all of this with me to my grave,” Chung’s voiceover begins. “I didn’t want to burden you with the weight of it. I must confess — Eleanor is not my real name.”
Watch the full trailer below:
The first three episodes of “Black Cake” arrive on Hulu Nov. 1. The rest will roll out weekly.
