EPIX'S EMMY AWARD-WINNING DRAMA SERIES "GODFATHER OF HARLEM" BEGINS PRODUCTION ON SEASON TWO

10-Episode Sophomore Season Starring and Executive Produced by Forest Whitaker Set to Premiere in 2021

New York, NY - November 10, 2020 - Premium cable network EPIX(R) announced today that the upcoming second season of Emmy award-winning drama series Godfather of Harlem has started production in New York City. The 10-episode second season, from executive producers Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein (Narcos), and starring and executive produced by Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker, will debut on EPIX in 2021.

Godfather of Harlem tells a story inspired by infamous Harlem crime boss Bumpy Johnson (Whitaker), who in the early 1960s returned from eleven years in prison to find the neighborhood he once ruled in shambles. With the streets controlled by the Italian mob, Bumpy must take on the Genovese crime family to regain control. During the brutal battle, he forms an alliance with radical preacher Malcolm X (Nigél Thatch) - catching Malcolm's political rise in the crosshairs of social upheaval and a mob war that threatens to tear the city apart. 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.

Season two will see Bumpy continue his struggle to reclaim command over Harlem from the Italian mobsters by attempting to seed internal discord and sever their vital heroin pipeline. Meanwhile, Malcolm X will be forced to choose between violent and nonviolent response to the near constant threats to his life and his relationship with Bumpy will be severely tested.

In addition to Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) and Thatch (Selma, American Dreams), season two sees the return of stars Vincent D'Onofrio (Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Daredevil), Ilfenesh Hadera (She's Gotta Have It, Baywatch), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, The Mandelorian), Lucy Fry (Bright, Vampire Academy), Rafi Gavron (A Star is Born), and Antoinette Crowe-Legacy. Cast members Erik LaRay Harvey (Luke Cage) and Demi Singleton (King Richard) have been upped to series regulars for season two.

Produced by ABC Signature Studios, which is a part of Disney Television Studios, the series is co-created and executive produced by Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein (Narcos). Whitaker and Nina Yang Bongiovi, along with James Acheson, Markuann Smith and Joe Chappelle, serve as executive producers. Swizz Beatz serves as executive music producer. Chris Brancato serves as showrunner.

ABOUT ABC SIGNATURE

ABC Signature is a global leader in the development, production and distribution of entertainment content across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. The studio produces many of ABC Entertainment's most significant hits, including "Grey's Anatomy," "black-ish," "mixed-ish," "American Housewife," and "Station 19"; and co-productions "The Good Doctor," "A Million Little Things," "For Life," "The Rookie," and late-night talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" ABC Signature's returning and upcoming series include "Godfather of Harlem" for EPIX; Hulu's "Dollface," "Marvel's Helstrom," and co-production "Woke; "grown-ish" for Freeform; and "The Wilds" for Amazon. The Studio produced the Emmy(R) Award-nominated event limited series "Little Fires Everywhere" for Hulu. For streaming service Disney +, upcoming series include "The Mighty Ducks" and "Big Shot."

ABOUT EPIX(R)

EPIX(R), an MGM company, is a premium television network delivering a broad line-up of quality original series and documentaries, the latest movie releases and classic film franchises - all available on TV, on demand, online and across devices. EPIX(R) has tripled the amount of original programming on the network and has become a destination for original premium content with series including Godfather of Harlem, starring and executive produced by Forest Whitaker; Perpetual Grace, LTD, starring Sir Ben Kingsley; spy thriller Deep State; epic fantasy drama series Britannia; War of the Worlds, from Howard Overman and starring Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern; two-part music docuseries Laurel Canyon; docuseries Slow Burn based on the hit podcast; docuseries NFL: The Grind, from NFL Films and hosted by Rich Eisen; Belgravia, from Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame and the creative team from Downton Abbey; six-part docuseries Helter Skelter: An American Myth, executive produced and directed by Lesley Chilcott; six-part docuseries Enslaved featuring Hollywood icon and human rights activist Samuel L. Jackson; as well as upcoming premieres of drama Chapelwaite, based on the short story Jerusalem's Lot by Stephen King and starring Academy Award winner Adrien Brody; music docuseries By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem; dramedy Bridge and Tunnel, written and directed by Ed Burns; docuseries Fiasco and season two of Pennyworth, the origin story of Batman's butler Alfred. Launched in October 2009, EPIX(R) is available nationwide through cable, telco, satellite and emerging digital distribution platforms as well as through its EPIX NOW app, providing more movies than any other network with thousands of titles available for streaming.

For more information about EPIX, go to www.EPIX.com. Follow EPIX on Twitter @EpixHd (http://www.twitter.com/EpixHD) and on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/EPIX), YouTube (http://youtube.com/EPIX), Instagram (http://instagram.com/EPIX) and Snapchat @EPIXTV.