Malcolm Barrett, Alexis Louder, Amirah Vann and Jared Abrahamson added to Apple’s The Changeling series
Deadline reports that Malcolm Barrett, Alexis Louder, Amirah Vann and Jared Abrahamson are set for key recurring roles opposite LaKeith Stanfield in The Changeling, Apple TV+’s upcoming drama series based on Victor LaValle’s bestselling book of the same name. Adina Porter, Clark Backo and Samuel T. Herring also star.
The Changeling, from Annapurna and Apple Studios, is a fairytale for grown-ups. A horror story, a parenthood fable and a perilous odyssey through a New York City you didn’t know existed.
In LaValle’s book, when Apollo and Emma have their baby, Brian, it feels like both a reward and a challenge for the new dad. Apollo, the son of a single mother, had been scraping by as a bookseller who hunts estate and garage sales for rare first editions, so even the unusual circumstance of Brian’s birth (on a stalled subway train) seems like a blessing, as does the way Apollo stumbles across a first edition of To Kill a Mockingbird (inscribed by Harper Lee to Truman Capote, no less) shortly thereafter. But after some young-parent squabbles and inexplicable images on their smartphones foreshadow trouble, the story turns nightmarish.
Barrett plays Patrice Green, Apollo’s best friend, ex-veteran and fellow book enthusiast. Louder portrays Lillian Kagwa, Apollo’s secretive mother. Vann is Kim Valentine, Emma’s sister and sole family member. Abrahamson plays Brian West, a parole officer and Lillian Kagwa’s husband.
Kelly Marcel wrote the adaptation and serves as showrunner. Queen & Slim helmer and Insecure alum Melina Matsoukas will direct. Megan Ellison, Sue Naegle, Patrick Chu, and Ali Krug executive produce on behalf of Annapurna; Matsoukas executive produces through her De La Revolución Films. Stanfield and Marcel also executive produce with Khaliah Neal co-executive producing. LaValle also serves as co-executive producer.