Tony winner Adrienne Warren has been cast as a lead in the forthcoming Hulu series Black Cake. The drama was created by Marissa Jo Cerar, Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films, and Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment. Cerar, Kaplan, and Warren previously collaborated on ABC's Women of the Movement miniseries.
Based on a book by Charmaine Wilkerson, the series takes place in the late 1960s and follows a runaway bride named Covey who disappears into the coast of Jamaica following her husband’s murder. Fifty years later, a widow named Eleanor Bennett dies of cancer and leaves her two estranged children, Byron and Benny (played by Warren), a flash drive filled with untold stories.
The actor shared her excitement for the role via Instagram. She wrote, "This story is so special. I can’t wait to share it with you all."
Warren's theatre credits include starring as Lorell Robinson in the touring production of Dreamgirls; Danielle in the Broadway production and national tour of Bring it On: the Musical; Gertrude Saunders/Florence Mills in Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed; and originating the title role in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical. The latter two garnered the performer Tony nods, with Shuffle Along earning her a nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and Tina earning her a win for Best Actress in a Musical. Her screen credits include appearances in Orange is the New Black and Quantico, and she will star in the upcoming epic The Woman King alongside Viola Davis, Lashana Lynch, and John Boyega.
The Hulu series will feature direction by Andrew Dosunmu and is executive produced by Cerar, Winfrey, Carla Gardini, Kaplan, Brian Morewitz, and Michael Lohmann.
