
Disney version of ‘Washington Black' roots tale in Nova Scotia, expands world of side characters
There are significant changes to the hero and his relationships, wholly invented scenes and entirely new characters inserted by showrunners and executive producers Selwyn Seyfu Hinds and Kimberly Ann Harrison.
Edugyan says she accepted early on that transforming her Giller Prize-winning saga into an eight-part streaming show would mean surrendering her hold on the story, noting she 'very much took a back seat' in the process.
'It's probably never a favourable thing to have the writer of the book kind of lurking in the background, looking over your shoulder, saying, 'Why have you done this and not that?'' Edugyan says in a recent video call from her home office in Victoria.
'I just kind of understood that this was somebody else's art.'
Like the eponymous book, the series recounts the fantastical life of a boy born into slavery on a Barbados sugar plantation in the 19th century, with Eddie Karanja as the young hero and Ernest Kingsley Jr. as an older Washington Black.
At age 11, Wash is taken under the wing of his master's younger abolitionist brother Titch, played by Tom Ellis, who uses the boy as ballast for an experimental flying machine but soon recognizes his aptitude for art and science. Amid this burgeoning friendship, Wash is disfigured in a trial run and then implicated in a crime, forcing him and Titch to flee the plantation.
Edugyan's tale is a first-person account by an 18-year-old Wash who looks back on a lifelong search for freedom and meaning that sends him to extreme corners of the world.
The Disney version is narrated by Sterling K. Brown's Medwin, a mere side character in the book who runs Wash's boarding house in Halifax.
Onscreen, Medwin is a mentor to Wash and gets his own backstory and love interest, all part of what Hinds explains as 'the journey of adaptation.'
As such, Halifax features more prominently in the Disney story, which filmed in and around the Atlantic capital, as well as in Mexico and Iceland to capture scenes set in Virginia, the Arctic, London and Morocco.
Hinds says Nova Scotia was home for about six months, with shooting locations including Peggy's Cove, Lunenburg, Uniacke Estate Museum Park in Mount Uniacke and the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site in Cape Breton.
He says Halifax in particular 'really adopted us as a crew' as they learned the local history of Black settlements in Canada.
'There was a young man who used to cut my hair in Halifax and one day we were talking — he told me his family had been there, I think, 400 years. Which for an American immigrant like myself, who's first-generation American, this was just completely mind-blowing,' he says in joint a video call from Los Angeles with Harrison.
'A big part of what we're doing is trying to bake ourselves in the nooks and crannies and the history of the place. And I did as best as I could to let that infuse the actual storytelling itself.'
Among the biggest changes is the removal of Wash's facial scars, notes Edugyan, who became the first Black woman to win the Giller in 2011 for 'Half-Blood Blues' and only the third author to win twice when 'Washington Black' claimed the title in 2018.
In the Disney version, the scar is on Wash's chest, where it's hidden from view.
'That is quite a departure from the novel,' says Edugyan.
'That was a very deliberate choice on my part to have that be part of how Washington confronts the world — that he's not only an enslaved person but that he also carries with him this disfigurement, which gives him this sort of double estrangement.'
Edugyan describes the series as 'a kind of translation or interpretation of the novel' to satisfy a visual medium and the demands of episodic storytelling. Her jazz-infused 'Half-Blood Blues' was also optioned for the screen, by Toronto's Clement Virgo, which Edugyan says is still in the works.
Hinds says he regards the screen version of 'Washington Black' as 'the same house' but bigger, with an expanded world that adds a romantic rival for Wash and a deeper backstory for the white-passing love interest Tanna, born to a Black mother in the Solomon Islands.
'Because the TV medium just gives you room to explore things that Esi kind of laid out that were really great opportunities — really delving into Tanna's background or really seeing what the Solomon Islands meant (to Tanna),' he says.
'With any adaptation, or at least the ones that I've written, the first thing is to find the emotional DNA of the story, right? And once I realized that the story that Esi was telling about finding hope and finding agency and finding freedom, once you sort of lock into the emotional core of what the characters' journey is, everything else makes sense. Both in terms of what you keep in and what you leave out.'
Edugyan says she's slowly making her way through the series, deeming it 'really lush and gorgeous. And the acting is quite wonderful.'
'It's quite different from the novel,' Edugyan adds.
'Anybody who's familiar with the source work will be surprised. But I think it's its own piece of art and I'm looking forward to having people watch it and to hearing reactions.'
'Washington Black' premieres all eight episodes Wednesday on Disney Plus.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2025.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Buzz Feed
3 minutes ago
- Buzz Feed
I Watched 'Jaws' For The First Time & Here's My Reaction
Jaws is officially 50 years old. It was Steven Spielberg's second film (can you believe that?), and it blew up at the box office in 1975, making it the first big summer blockbuster ever. Oh, yeah, it also won three Academy Awards, NBD... But even after all these accolades, I have never seen it... until now. So grab your chum bucket (aka popcorn), and watch the movie with me for the 50th anniversary below: Cool, cool, cool, cool... we're just starting off with the Jaws theme song. This is fine...I'm fine. Oh, look, now we're hanging out with the youths while they have a bonfire. And this man approached a woman... who was hanging by herself, might I add. Sir, stay in your lane. Now they're running toward the beach because Chrissie wants to go swimming?? Girl, it's in the middle of the night! Why do you think this is a good idea?? (I can already tell, I'm too old to hang with these youths...) "I'm not drunk!!" said a very "sober" nameless man as he ran after her. *facepalm* Wait... now Chrissie is in the ocean by herself... in the middle of the night?? In this economy??? And this man, who is NAMELESS, is struggling to take his clothes off because he's "not drunk"? This isn't going to end well. However, Chrissie's footwork? 10/10 And the Jaws music is back... Damn, you, American composer and conductor John Williams... damn you. Bruce got her!! Chrissie is screaming for her life! And this NAMELESS man is just lying on the beach?? Absolutely not. Why are you doing this to me so early in the movie, Steven Spielberg?? So now it's the following morning, and we're at Martin and Ellen Brody's house... AND THEIR SON HAS A CUT ON HIS HAND?? It's too early for this. What is going on with the youths in this town?? Okay, Martin and Ellen are so cute together. A healthy couple in a thriller movie? I'll take it. Also, can we talk about how great this shot is? You find out he's the chief of the Amity Police Department with perfect positioning of the car behind the fence, and the color contrast is *chef kiss.* "And nobody saw her go into the water?" "Somebody could have, but I was sort of... passed out." YOU DID THIS, NAMELESS MAN! Oh, no... they found Chrissie. Well, thanks to Polly, we finally figured out how Martin's son hurt his hand: Apparently, kids have been karate chopping picket fences. *shakes fists* Youths. Now Martin needs to go to the store to get supplies to create "beach closed" signs. A man of many talents... "This stuff is not going to help me in August. ... You haven't got one thing I ordered. Not a beach umbrella, not a sun lounger, no beach balls. If I can't get service..." Okay, sir, in the background, you don't need to be rude to the store owner! Where is that shark when we need him... #sharkattackonland "You're going to shut down the beaches on your own authority? ... Amity is a summer town. We need summer dollars..." Oh, this mayor is the devil, isn't he? Capitalism at its finest. I don't like how much the camera is focusing on the dog... Or this boy... "Are you okay?" "Everything is fine, it's fine..." Don't hide your anxiety, Martin! Tell your wife how you feel!!! Also, props to Ellen for being a supportive wife. "If the kids going into the water is worrying you, they can play on the beach." #morehealthycouplesinfilm "We know all about you, Chief. You don't go into the water at all, do you?" I don't condone making fun of old men, but HOW DARE YOU, HARRY. Don't bring up Martin's traumas to his face. Martin is right: That is some "bad hat, Harry." Now, go back into the water where you belong. Ugh, I knew it. The owner is calling for his dog, Pippet. The dog didn't deserve this, Steven Spielberg! Okay, you (kinda) won me back, Steven. Only because you did this iconic dolly zoom shot when Bruce unfortunately killed the kid and the dog. #justiceforpippet "Any special questions?" "Is that $3,000 bounty on the shark cash or check?" Oh, hell no. A kid (and a dog) just died, sir. Go straight to jail!! The absolute worst (yet best) introduction to a new character ever??? I might say so. My body will never recover from this sound. "I don't want no volunteers. I don't want no mates. ... $10,000 for me, by myself. For that, you get the head, the tail, the whole damn thing." Uhhhh, yeah, I would trust this guy with my whole life. Give this fisherman all your money to kill this shark!! For the boy, for Pippet!!! "Oh, you scared me!" He scared you, Ellen?? You were the one who snuck up behind him while he was reading about sharks! At least she forces him to stop reading so he can fall asleep. "Wanna get drunk and fool around?" Get it. #morehealthycouplesinmovies OHHHHHHH, Matt Hooper has entered the chat!! And so has the rest of New England!! Everyone is trying to get that $3,000 reward from the boy's mom to kill the shark, but everyone is not thinking straight!! Why are so many people trying to get into a small boat?? Why was a person holding dynamite so casually?? It feels like Martin is trying to control a bunch of wild children!! Is this what parenting is like?? "Gentlemen, the officer asked me to tell you that you are overloading the boat!" "Ah, get out of here..." "Ha, ha... they're all going to die." This feels a little too close to what's happening in today's political world. *facepalm* I'm not triggered, you're triggered. WHY ARE THESE DOGS ON A BOAT WHILE A MAN IS THROWING CHUM INTO THE OCEAN?!?!?! Does no one care about dogs in this movie?? I give up! *Throws myself into the ocean* Oh, Matt, who is the marine biologist, asked to see Chrissie... and she's in this wash basin... Oh, Chrissie. I'll never forgive you, nameless man!! #justiceforchrissie Ah, so they think they caught THE SHARK... but Matt has other opinions on the matter. "The fact is the bite radius on this animal is different than the wounds on the victim. I want to be sure. You want to be sure. ... Let's cut it open. Whatever it's eaten in the last 24 hours is bound to still be in there, and then we'll be sure." That's right, Matty, SPEAK YOUR TRUTH!! Lord, the mayor has OPINIONS on Matty's professional analysis of the situation??? OF COURSE HE DOES!! "Look, fellas, let's be reasonable, huh?" Reasonable, Larry?? Reasonable? I'LL SHOW YOU REASONABLE!! The boy's mom came to see Martin and SLAPPED HIM! "I just found out that a girl got killed here last week... and you knew it." What a heartbreaking scene... and she's 100% right. Her boy is dead because of the choices the town made just to get "summer dollars." What a disgrace! And Larry, the devil — ahem — the mayor, had the audacity to say she was wrong???? Let me at him!! Thankfully, Martin said she wasn't wrong. DAMN STRAIGHT!! That woman lost her son because of you, Larry!! Well, I'm officially a part of the Matt Hooper club. Why? I'm so glad you asked: #1 He invited himself over and brought TWO different wine bottles because he didn't know what the Brodys were serving for dinner.#2 He asked if anyone was eating the full plate of food that was on the table, which was clearly not made for him.#3 He began to tell Martin that he should let the wine breathe, as Martin stopped giving a fuck and poured himself a giant glass. Also, add me to the Martin Brody fan club, too. His wife: "Martin hates boats. Martin hates water. Martin sits in his car when we go onto the ferry to the mainland. I guess it's a childhood thing. There's a clinical name for it..." Martin: "Drowning." "I can do anything... I'm the chief of police." YES, PREACH, MARTIN, PREACH. Stand in your power and drink that giant-ass glass of wine! Cue Mariah Carey's "Hero". "And when a hero comes along..." #4 reason why I'm in the Matt Hooper club: He's an encouraging "friend"... Matt: "I gotta find [the shark] right now; he's a night "ON THE WATER?"Matt: "Well, if we're looking for a shark, we're not going to find him on the land."Martin: "Yeah, but I'm not drunk enough to go on a boat."Matt: "Yes, you are."Martin: "No, I'm not."Matt: "Yes, you are!"Martin: "I can't do that."Matt: "Yes, you can." Seems like Martin found a larger "glass" for his boat ride! You won't catch him wine-ing about it. (I'm sorry, I had to.) JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH!! What is going on with this abandoned boat they found?!?! "We will be open for business." Even after EVERYTHING that has happened, this m*therf*cker still doesn't want to close the beaches? I've never hated a character more. Sorry for the swear words, familia, but my god. I need a "Martin-sized" cup of wine right about now. These families have no idea a people-eating shark is in the water! And Larry "the Devil" is asking this person and his family to get into the water, KNOWING there is a shark somewhere out there. Somebody hold me back because I'm about to jump through the TV screen. Well, look at that, LARRY. There's a shark, and someone else has died! You're lucky Martin and Ellen's kid got out alive!!! Oh, NOW Larry realizes what he's done?? "I was acting in the town's best interest. ... My kids were on that beach, too." Don't you dare! Just sign the damn papers Martin is giving you to hire the shark murderer and go on your way, sir! #justiceforpippet Oh, this fisherman like hates-hates sharks. "What am I going to tell the kids?" "Tell them I'm going fishing." OMG, where did this sweat around my eyes come from?? Ah, look at these two becoming best friends... JK, they hate each other's chum guts. "He's gone under the boat. I think he's gone under the boat!" WTF does that mean, QUINT? What does that mean?!?! Quint: "Marlin, Stingray bit through this piano wire? Don't you tell me my business again." Yeah, I'm gonna steal that. Oh, and let's sketch this on the biggest billboard we find, too: "Well, it proves one thing, Mr. Hooper: It proves that you wealthy college boys don't have the education enough to admit when you're wrong." SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK! BRUCE HAS RISEN!!! Martin has risen!!! "You're gonna need a bigger boat." (Also, is this the first full look of Bruce's face??? An hour-ish into the movie??? Such a smart idea to lead up to this reveal!!) Can we talk about how this scene would never be shot today? A real boat, in the real ocean, with real water? Give us realism, please and thank you! #2 reason why I'm a part of the Martin Brody fan club: "Martin, move, move, move!" "I'm not going out there!" "Go beyond the edge of the barrels. Further out!" "WHY? What for?" "I need to have something in the foreground to give it some scale!" "Foreground my ass!" FIRST SHOT!!! But he disappeared! Omg, my hair is falling out from all the stress. Wait, are Quint and Matt actually becoming besties after trying to fight a shark all day??? Look at them!! Oh... is this why Quint hates sharks? He was on the USS Indianapolis, where the boat was sunk by a Japanese submarine, and sailors were fighting for their lives in shark-infested I don't blame him... Okay, it's the next day and BRUCE IS BACK!! And Quint smashed the hell out of the radio with a bat while Martin was trying to radio in the Coast Guard for help!! He's gone cuckoo for Coco Puffs!! SECOND SHOT!!! AND A THIRD SHOT, too!! Quint won't quit!!! They tried to tie Bruce to the boat to bring him in, but he's too powerful!! I wasn't expecting Bruce to be a beast like this!!! Now I understand how this shark made people terrified of the ocean in the '70s!! Good news is: Bruce can't stay underwater with three barrels attached!! haha SUCK IT, BRUCE!! Of course, Bruce is angry and decides to chase them... of course!! Yeah, I'm never going into the ocean again. But their boat is falling apart as they try to go back to the shore to drown Bruce. Why didn't anyone tell me the last hour of the movie is just straight chaos?!?! Welp, I guess the only option is to put Matty into the shark cage so he can poison Bruce up close. This is fine... he's fine. Oh, no!! He lost the poison stick and is now hiding from the shark in the water!! AND MARTIN AND QUINT THINK HE'S DEAD!! Aw, now Bruce feels bad and wants to replace Matt by becoming the "third fisherman"... JK, he wants to eat them as little snackies. I can't help but think of Martin and how he must feel during this time: He hates the ocean and he hates boats; he didn't ask for any of this, but he got sucked in because of Larry! Now, a shark is trying to "board" a boat in the middle of the ocean to eat him and his mate. He'll need a therapist after this. NOOOOO, QUINT IS DEAD!!!! Martin is DEFINITELY going to need to see a therapist after this... Martin threw one of the oxygen tanks into the shark's mouth!! Didn't Quint say earlier that the shark was going to eat one of the tanks as a joke? I guess it's coming true!!! For someone who hates water and boats (and sharks), Martin is killing it!! His therapist will be so proud. MARTIN KILLED THE SHARK ALL BY HIMSELF!!!! He don't need no (fisher)man!!! And he found out his bestie Matty is alive!! Oh, Quint, you got the $10,000 but never got to use it. That's so unfair!! "I used to hate the water." "I can't imagine why." OMG, what an amazing ending. What a jaw-dropping movie (see what I did there)? SO GOOD! Have you seen Jaws? Tell us what you think of the movie in the comments below.

Business Insider
34 minutes ago
- Business Insider
I've become notorious as a 'vertical villain' in Chinese-style mini-dramas. Being evil is fun, but draining.
This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with 32-year-old Sarah Moliski, based in Los Angeles. It has been edited for length and clarity. As an actor on the digital circuit, I usually get cast as the villain. In YouTube giant Dhar Mann 's videos, I was always the mean girl — the evil babysitter, the mean cheerleader, the lesson to be had. I think it's due to having blonde hair and a strong personality. Today, I've made a name as a villain in the vertical mini-drama space, an explosively popular format born in China. At this point, it really does come naturally to me. At ReelShort, I've won awards and have dedicated fan pages, and I'm proud of that. In a lot of verticals, the female lead is sweet and innocent, almost like a Disney princess. But if the villain's not there, there's no story. We bring the spice, the stunts, and the drama. Some of the stories are crazy. In " Hillbilly Girlie Marries a Billionaire," I take a man's sperm and get myself pregnant with it to prove we had sex. Then, it turns out it was the maid's husband's sperm. In " His One and Only Love," I hire a drunk doctor to give someone an abortion. There's a lot of food stuff where I'll throw food at people. Being a villain is fun because there are a lot of different layers to them. They're not just mean-spirited — there's always a reason. I like adding precursor stories about what hurt me, like having an unrequited crush on my enemies, or that my parents didn't love me. The mannerisms and physical comedy are like the fun little frosting on top. @reelshortapp The moment you've been waiting for... 🥁🔥 👑 The crown for Best Villain goes to @sarahmoshow😈 🖤 We loved every second of her wickedness🫦 ✨What was your favorite savage moment? Drop it below ⬇️ #reelshort #bestvillan #reelshortawards ♬ original sound - ReelShort - ReelShort But there are so many times when I feel bad — especially if it's with a greener actor or someone I'm not already friends with — because I'm an emotional person and it's hard for me to be mean to people. I've also gotten hate online for years, especially when I was on YouTube, but nowadays, most people understand that these are soap operas, and I've gotten better about not paying attention to it. Sometimes, I also feel like I have to overcompensate and be everyone's best friend on set. Sometimes I feel drained because there's already so much prep and memorization — we do 17 to 18 pages a day — and then you also want to be really cool and likeable. That can be exhausting — trying to prove that you aren't a villain. When I get home, I need to rot on the couch. I have absolutely no energy to socialize. Pushing for more powerful lead roles for women Being an aspiring actor in New York, you have to have a subway rat mentality. You have to make money to eat. It's a kind of grit and determination unique to the city. I've had other jobs in addition to acting, including as a red carpet host, standup comic, and personal assistant to celebrities. When I let go of achieving superstardom and comparative thinking and embraced the goal of simply making enough money to exist — and having fun while doing it — that's when I fell into verticals, and it changed everything for me. I shot my first vertical two years ago after submitting a self-tape online and booking the role of an 18-year-old bully in " Ms. Swan, Teach Me Love." I wasn't familiar with mini-dramas at the time, but after seeing new casting opportunities continue to be posted and others achieving success, I decided I wanted to try to become a staple in the space. Every actor's biggest dream is consistency. Even today, I'm astonished by the view counts. Even the ones that aren't doing as well are still getting 20 million views. And the fans are so invested. Today, myself and others are pushing for stronger female lead roles. I just wrapped my first lead, the best vertical script I've ever read. It's about a twin avenging her sister's murder. I'd describe the character as a mix of Angelina Jolie in "Tomb Raider" and Rosamund Pike in "Gone Girl." She's really fun and complex. In the future, I would love to help the vertical industry continue to grow. In addition to acting, I work in casting for ReelShort and also created a podcast. I like witnessing how this space is changing so many people's lives.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
'Tron: Ares' brings the Grid, light cycles and Nine Inch Nails soundtrack, to Comic-Con
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Grid took over Comic-Con on Friday, bringing the stars of the new 'Tron: Ares' films to unveil footage and reveal the story behind the franchise's third movie. The film stars Jared Leto, Jeff Bridges, Greta Lee and Jodie Turner-Smith as the story brings the virtual environment of the Grid, complete with light cylces, into the real world. Disney showed off several minutes of footage, including a light cycle chase scene in the real world and another in the red-hued Grid. Propelling the onscreen action is a propulsive Nine Inch Nails soundtrack. 'It's fun to see it on the big screen for the first time,' said director Joachim Rønning. Disney turned the Hall H panel into a spectacle, with red lasers filling the room and characters in suits with red lights entering the massive hall. Asked what excited her about joining the 'Tron' franchise, Lee responded: 'I just wanted to ride a light cycle.' Leto spoke affectionately about the original saying: 'This movie just grabbed a hold of me and took me to a place that I'd never been before. It kind of rattled my imagination and it kind of showed me what was possible in the world.' He praised Bridges and Steven Lisberger, who created 'Tron' and directed the 1982 original. Lisberger attended Friday's panel and laid out his case for why the franchise remains relevant. 'My feeling about 'Tron' is that the most important thing is we kick this technology around artistically before it kicks us around,' Lisberger said. 'I am weary about hearing all the grim news about the future,' he said, and the way he thinks it can be avoided is to 'inspire young people what can be done with this technology.' Friday's panel ended with the premiere of the music video for "As Alive as You Need Me to Be," the first Nine Inch Nails song from the soundtrack. 'Tron' has never been in the top tier of sci-fi franchises. The original 1982 film starring Bridges as Kevin Flynn, a man sucked into a computer vortex known as the Grid, was admired for its ground-breaking concept and effects, and was a modest hit with moderately good reviews. Perhaps more importantly, it won a cult following and has been maintained enough in cultural memory to remain a valuable property for Disney. The 2010 film 'Tron: Legacy,' starring Bridges and Garrett Hedlund, made more than $400 million globally. A TV show that followed, 'Tron: Uprising,' lasted just one season. Rønning has helmed other Disney franchise films: 2017's 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales' and 2019's 'Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.' The Norweigan director said he was interested because he dreamed about making a sci-fi film and enjoyed the twist of 'Ares' bringing the Grid into the real world. Leto and Bridges are both Oscar winners, and Rønning is an Oscar nominee. ___ AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton contributed to this report. Solve the daily Crossword