After being imprisoned for ten years, Bumpy Johnson returns to Harlem in Epix’s new series The Godfather of Harlem. Forest Whitaker plays Bumpy Johnson, whose sole mission is to take on an Italian mob and reclaim the city that’s his. In partnering with Malcolm X (Nigel Thatch), Bumpy is set in a political time zone that shakes the 1960s.
Vincent D’Onofrio and Nigel Thatch play Vincent “The Chin” Gigante and Malcolm X respectively in the upcoming Epix series, The Godfather of Harlem. Based on a true story about Bumpy Johnson (Forest Whitaker) and his return home after ten years in prison, Malcolm X and Bumpy join forces in the midst of the crime underworld of Harlem.
On September 16, the cast of Epix’s new series, Godfather of Harlem, joined the red carpet premiere held in Harlem.
The story of Bumpy Johnson has been told through television, and film over the years in movies such as Hoodlum, and American Gangster, and now Johnson’s life in the 1960s will be retold in Epix’s upcoming series Godfather of Harlem which stars Academy Award-winning actor Forest Whitaker as Johnson, and produced by Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein (who starred in Hoodlum). Whitaker, Brancato, and Eckstein along with actress Ilfenesh Hadera attended this year’s Tribeca TV Festival on September 12th to premiere the first episode of the season. The Knockturnal got the chance to chat with Whitaker and Brancato prior to the screening.