In a shocking recasting, Nigel Thatch is leaving Epix’s hit series Godfather of Harlem where he portrayed Malcolm X and Jason Alan Carvell is stepping into the role. We’re unsure why Thatch is leaving the series which is entering its third seasons. Production begins this week in New York.
Created by Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein, Godfather of Harlem tells a story inspired by infamous crime boss Bumpy Johnson (portrayed by Forest Whitaker), who in the early 1960s returned from eleven years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. Season 3 will find Bumpy Johnson continuing to battle for control of Harlem, with other aspirants to the throne, namely the Cuban Mafia from neighboring Spanish Harlem. Taking on the Cuban mob will put Bumpy, his loved ones, and his community in the crosshairs of not only the rival Italians, but ruthless Latin assassins and, ultimately, the CIA. Godfather of Harlem is a collision of the criminal underworld and the civil rights movement during one of the most tumultuous times in American history.
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In Season 3, Malcolm X (Carvell), the radical militant preacher who left the Nation of Islam and traveled the world to press for black political advancement, finds himself in the cross-hairs of danger from former associates, in addition to the NYPD, FBI and CIA.
The series also stars Vincent D’Onofrio, Ilfenesh Hadera, Lucy Fry, Antoinette Crowe-Legacy and Giancarlo Esposito.
Godfather of Harlem is produced by ABC Signature, a part of Disney Television Studios. Brancato, Eckstein, Whitaker, Nina Yang Bongiovi, James Acheson, Markuann Smith and Joe Chappelle executive produce. Swizz Beatz serves as executive music producer.