Netflix’s ‘crazy’ new sci-fi series set in London is Jay Z approved
Netflix’s brand new sci-fi series Supacell is so good that even Jay Z has been raving about it.
From the mastermind of Blue Story director Rapman, the six-part drama is the first of its kind following a group of predominantly Black south Londoners who suddenly develop superpowers.
Rather than saving the world, they’re utilising their newfound powers to advance their own lives.
Think Heroes with a sprinkle of Misfits; Supacell offers a space for Black British characters in the sci-fi genre where they were once overlooked. Fans of Rapman, real name Andrew Onwubolu, have been anticipating the series since the London-born filmmaker announced it during the pandemic in 2020.
The rapturous reception to the news made it abundantly clear that there was an appetite for a Black-centric sci-fi series and Netflix was more than happy to fill that gap. It was a deal partly brokered by Roc Nation, the entertainment management company founded by rap legend Jay Z which Rapman signed to 2018.
Evidently, Hov knows talent when he spots it no matter which side of the pond it lives on and getting his seal of approval for Supacell, released this Thursday, was a defining moment for Rapman.
The director told Metro.co.uk: ‘It’s cool that Jay Z saw the first few episodes maybe three, four months ago – early on. I saw him in LA a couple of months back and he was just telling me “This storytelling is crazy, the way you intertwine the characters”. He was proper bigging it up so it was just nice to see the support.’
Rapman, who described it as a ‘360 moment’ due to first meeting Netflix with Roc Nation in 2018, continued: ‘Jay Z is an influential person and I appreciate all the support from Roc Nation and from everyone.
‘I don’t like to go into a room and be the biggest person because I feel like you can’t learn much. So I like going into a room and seeing [Jay Z and business partners] as it just makes me want to work harder, to become more of a peer than under because I’m the type of person who wants to be equal.
‘Obviously, Jay Z is a billionaire, one of the richest men in the world and one of the most successful so it lets me know that I’ve still got a lot of work to do.’
It’s ‘all love’ between the two stars with Rapman now much less intimidated by the music mogul these days, casually rubbing shoulders with him at the famed Roc Nation brunches.
Supacell, which stars Tosin Cole and Nadine Mills, is the filmmaker’s first TV series after working on the critically acclaimed 2019 film Blue Story and his online series Shiro’s Story.
How Rapman brainstormed the idea for the show is rather wholesome and emerged from his most important role yet.
‘I started writing this in 2020 during lockdown and we were allowed to take walks. I used to take walks with my son who was about 10 at the time and we would just talk about powers,’ he recalled fondly. ‘We were talking about [character] Michael and I said, “What would be your favourite power?” He said teleport and I said mine would be teleport.’
He continued: ‘Everything I do is to impress my kids and to inspire them. So it was a big deal for them but not even just for them but for all Blacks watching.
‘It’s such a small space, you maybe see one of us in a Marvel movie out of 10 parts. It is such a space where we are so not represented, I just wanted to do something where we have all the powers this time. I just want everyone to know that if you want super strength, you can have super strength.’
Rapman rightfully pointed out that it’s not just Black people who are largely absent from the sci-fi genre, but Asian and other ‘non-white heroes’ too.
‘Someone’s got to start this because once this show does what it’s meant to do, it will just be the first of many and not just from me, but from others too. Other studios will think, that did so well over there we should get one as well,’ he explained.
Rapman, who revealed he was inspired by iconic sci-fi shows like Heroes and Misfits, added: ‘There weren’t a lot of Black characters in those but there was still enough you could believe in.’
The director hopes Supacell will ‘open a lot of doors for Black people in the space’ but he’s already looking towards his next project. While he has excelled in telling London-centric stories about inner-city youngsters, his secret project might take the action elsewhere for the first time in his career.
‘I’m currently writing something that’s right outside of the UK,’ is all he would tell us with a knowing smile.
When he’s done telling stories about superheroes and teenage strife, Rapman enjoys a much quieter existence at the end of the day.
‘I’m just a proper, hands-on dad where every weekend, you’ll see me at the cinema with my kids around me, you’ll see me in the playpen trying to catch my daughter,’ he confessed. ‘I’m just a proper parent. I’m a full-on workaholic and outside of that, I’m just a parent.
He admitted proudly: ‘My children have softened me.’
Supacell debuts on Netflix this Thursday (June 27).