Michaela Coel and John Goodman Star in “Black Earth Rising,” An Intricate Thriller, Premiering on Netflix January 25 [Video]

Black Earth Rising is a drama written and directed by Hugo Blick about the prosecution of international war criminals. The series is a co-production between BBC Two and Netflix, with BBC Two having aired the show in the United Kingdom from 10 September 2018, and Netflix streaming the show internationally outside the UK.

The story centers on Kate Ashby, who works as a legal investigator in the London law chambers of Michael Ennis. When Kate’s adoptive mother Eve takes on a case prosecuting an African militia leader, the story pulls Michael and Kate into a journey that will upend their lives forever.

Cast

Michaela Coel as Kate Ashby; a 28-year-old Rwandan-born legal investigator.

John Goodman as Michael Ennis; an American-born divorced barrister living and working in the UK.

Tamara Tunie as Eunice Clayton; US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.

Noma Dumezweni as Alice Munezero; a Rwandan government official and former General in the Rwandan Patriotic Army.

Harriet Walter as Eve Ashby, Kate’s adoptive mother, and an international prosecution barrister.

Danny Sapani as General Simon Nyamoya; a former Tutsi corporal who helped bring the Rwandan Genocide to an end.

Tyrone Huggins as Patrice Ganimana; a Rwandan Hutu who helped implement the Rwandan Genocide.

Ronald Guttman as Jacques Antoine Barré; a former Advisor to the Élysée Palace between 1987-1994.

Lucian Msamati as David Runihura; Special Advisor to the President of Rwanda.

Aure Atika as Sophie Barré; daughter of Jacques Antoine Barré and CEO of Barré Resources.

Abena Ayivor as Bibi Mundanzi; the overwhelmingly well-liked third-term President of Rwanda and adoptive sister of Alice Munezero.

Malou Coindreau as Hana Ennis; Michael’s daughter and a former financial analyst, who has been in a coma for three years.

Michael Gould as Harper Hopkinson; a book illustrator and Hana Ennis’s stepfather.

Hugo Blick as Blake Gaines; a successful defense barrister and rival of Ennis, hired to defend Patrice Ganimana.
Kathryn Hunter as Capi Petridis; the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

Serge Hazanavicius as Marc Previeau; a senior French Juge d’instruction based in Paris.

Emmanuel Imani as Florence Karamera; a mysterious man aiding and protecting Kate

Julian Glover as Mark Viner; a retired barrister and Eve Ashby’s former boss.