To be discovered since June 27 on the platform, the “SupraCell” series by rapper and filmmaker Rapman takes us to a contemporary London for a superhero story.
Superheroes in spite of themselves
He became known in 2018 with the YouTube miniseries “Shiro’s Story”, then in 2020 with “Blue Story” (produced under his name Andrew Onwubolu), a success across the Channel whose export projects were buried by COVID. And while he was working on an English-language adaptation of the film “A Prophet” by Jacques Audiardalso fallen through, “SupraCell” is the brand new project of the one-man band rapman.
Here, the London native tells the story of five protagonists who providence brings together around a strange common point. Indeed, they discover superpowers: teleportation, telekinesis, increased strength, visions, or supersonic speed. In an interview with the American magazine Variety, Rapman returns to his approach: “I always loved superhero stories, the original Batman (…) and the films with Michael Keaton, but they never reflected reality for me.”
Andrew Onwubolu, aka Rapman, on the set of “SupraCell”
© Kevin Baker/Netflix
Historical cameras
With a cast that is predominantly black, “SupraCell” both allows a community to lean on the great arch of science fiction, often at the initiative of the dominant majority, and raises the question of the stakes of the industry. If it does not intend to do “you Marvel”as he explains on the microphone of the Guardian, the serial work of Rapman is nevertheless assessed in the light of the steps taken by Jordan Peele, Juel Taylor – recently on Netflix (“They cloned Tyrone”) – or again Ryan Coogler within the Marvel stables.
If the narration may seem like a programmatic mess, we must not let it distract us from major information. Indeed, having used Arri 35 cameras, the series makes history by using equipment specially designed to highlight the rich tone of dark skin. “We chose the Arri 35 for its ability to not overexpose highlights, which allowed us to expose our camera to the majority of black actors’ skin tones without the highlights being blown out.” explain Aaron Reiddirector of photography, at Metro.co.uk.
A metaphor for the challenges facing the Afro-descendant community in South London, and featuring an excellent cast, including Adelayo Adedayo, Nadine Mills, Although Cole (seen in “Doctor Who”) or even Josh Tedeku (notably seen in the series “Boarders”), the series “SupraCell” has been available on Netflix since June 27:
Trailer for “SupraCell”
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