The Big Cigar
The Big Cigar is an upcoming American biographical drama thriller miniseries developed by Jim Hecht, based on the 2012 Playboy article of the same name by Joshuah Bearman. The six-episode series is set to premiere on Apple TV+ in 2023. Premise
Chronicles the manhunt for Huey P. Newton, the founder of the Black Panther Party, who seeks the help of film producer Bert Schneider as he tries to escape to Cuba. Cast

Main
 André Holland as Huey P. Newton
 Tiffany Boone as Gwen Fontaine
 Alessandro Nivola as Bert Schneider
 Marc Menchaca as Sydney Clark
 P. J. Byrne as Stephen Blauner

Recurring
 Jordane Christie as Bobby Seale
 Moses Ingram as Teressa Dixon
 Olli Haaskivi as Arthur A. Ross
 Glynn Turman as Walter Newton
 Jaime Ray Newman as Roz Torrance
 Noah Emmerich as Stanley Schneider
 Michael Mașini aș Gregory Lipton
 John Doman as Abe Schneider
 Chris Brochu as Dennis Hopper
 Brenton Allen as Eldridge Cleaver
 Manuel Rodriguez Saenz as Tajo

Guest
 Al McFoster as Ceddy
 Taylor Jackson as Candice Bergen
 Inny Clemons as Richard Pryor
 Liz Adjei as Betty Shabazz
 Brian Jansen as Warren Winkle

Episodes

The third through sixth episodes are written by Laurence Andries & Gwendolyn M. Parker, Janine Sherman Barrois & Jim Hecht, Laurence Andries & Valerie Woods & Ameer Hasan, and Jim Hecht & Joshuah Bearman, respectively. Production
It was announced in December 2012 that Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris were set to direct the project for Sony Pictures, at the time developed as a film, with Joshuah Bearman, author of the source article, and Jim Hecht set to write the screenplay. The project, now a miniseries, was given a greenlight from Apple TV+ in April 2022, with André Holland cast to star. Don Cheadle was announced to be directing the first two episodes in addition to executive producing. In June, Tiffany Boone and Alessandro Nivola joined the cast, with Marc Menchaca and P. J. Byrne joining the next month. In August, Jordane Christie, Moses Ingram, Olli Haaskivi and Glynn Turman were cast to recur in the series. Additional recurring cast including Jaime Ray Newman and Noah Emmerich was announced in September. Filming for the series began in Toronto in June 2022, as revealed by showrunner Janine Sherman Barrois. By August, production was occurring throughout Hamilton, Ontario, where Hamilton City Hall was being used as a double for San Francisco International Airport. References

External links
 

American drama television series
American television miniseries
American thriller television series
Apple TV+ original programming
Biographical television series
Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
Television shows filmed in Hamilton, Ontario
Television shows filmed in Toronto
Upcoming drama television series
Works about the Black Panther Party
Works based on periodical articles