Supacell
Supacell is a 2024 British superhero television series, created and written by Rapman for Netflix. It was directed by Rapman and Sebastian Thiel, and features an ensemble cast, including Tosin Cole, Nadine Mills, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Calvin Demba, Josh Tedeku and Adelayo Adedayo. Set in modern-day South London, the series is about a group of five ordinary Black British people, unified by family history of sickle cell disease. The sickle cell issues manifests as a super cell in their bodies when they unexpectedly develop superpowers, though this leads to them being pursued by a secret organisation who intends to control them.
The series was a difficult sell to US broadcasters, and was rejected by HBO, ABC, and FX. Netflix picked it up in late 2019, ahead of the release of Rapman's feature-length film debut Blue Story. The development and writing process took place during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and filming took place between July 2022 and April 2023 in the South London boroughs of Southwark, Lewisham and London borough of Bexley. The series explores themes such as knife crime, racial profiling, poverty, and the exploitation of black bodies.
Supacell premiered on 27 June 2024 and received positive reviews from critics. In August 2024, the series was renewed for a second season.
Premise
Five black people from South London are unified by a family history of sickle cell disease and unexpectedly develop superpowers. They discover each other and fend off entrapment by a secret organisation seeking to control them.Cast
Main cast
- Tosin Cole as Michael Lasaki-Brown, a delivery driver, and a super with the ability to teleport and manipulate time
- Nadine Mills as Sabrina Clarke, a young woman living with her sister, and a super with the ability of telekinesis
- Eric Kofi-Abrefa as Andre Simpson, a financially struggling father, and a super with the ability of super strength
- Calvin Demba as Rodney Cullen, an inexperienced teenage drug dealer, and a super with the ability of super speed
- Josh Tedeku as Tazer, the leader of the Tower Boys gang, and a super with the ability of invisibility
- Adelayo Adedayo as Dionne Ofori, Michael's fiancéepresent when he first manifests his power
Supporting cast
- Eddie Marsan as Ray, a leading member of the organization hunting down the supers
- Ky-Mani Carty as AJ Simpson, Andre's teenaged son
- Mickira Oji as Skreamer, Tazer's Tower Boys lieutenantthe first friend he reveals his secret to
- Rayxia Ojo as Sharleen Clarke, Sabrina's sisterpresent when she first manifests her power
- Michael Salami as Gabriel, Michael's friendthe first he reveals his secret to
- Giacomo Mancini as Spud, Rodney's friendthe first he reveals his secret to
Production
Development and writing
Rapman's plans to write a superhero series were first publicised in November 2019, during the promotion of his first feature-length film Blue Story. When asked by actor Junior Afolabi Salokun, who appeared in both Blue Story and Supacell, about what he would like to write next, Rapman responded with "I want to do a sci-fi one day. I could do something like a Misfits but a bit deeper. Like imagine someone from SE postcode area|where we came from gets powers? Like real powers, like what would man really do with that power?"The series was a difficult sell to US broadcasters, such as HBO, ABC, and FX, who all rejected it. During a dinner with some UK Netflix executives where Rapman pitched ideas for several shows, such as an untitled football-centric series, Supacell was successfully commissioned. He began writing the series during the COVID-19 pandemic, following the cancellation of his planned second film American Son, a remake of the 2009 French film A Prophet, starring Russell Crowe and Stephan James, for Paramount Pictures, as a result of the pandemic, and in November 2021, the series was announced in November 2021 with Mouktar Mohammed and Henrietta Lee of New Wave as executive producer and associate producer, respectively. Also executive producing are Anna Ferguson and Steve Searle of Netflix with Mark Hedges as series producer. In August 2024, Netflix renewed the series for a second season.
Casting
In August 2022, Tosin Cole was announced in the lead role along with a cast that included Adelayo Adedayo, Nadine Mills, Eric Kofi-Abrefa, Calvin Demba, Josh Tedeku, Rayxia Ojo and Giacomo Mancini. It was later revealed that Eddie Marsan had joined the cast as Ray.Filming
Filming took place between 4 July and 10 December 2022 in South and South East London. Filming locations included Thamesmead, Peckham, Bermondsey and Deptford. It was reported that the production was using a specialised Arri 35 camera which has been designed to show Black skin in the best and most complimentary way. Filming had wrapped by April 2023.Filming on the second series took place in October 2025.
Episodes
Release
The first season of the series was released on Netflix on 27 June 2024.In August 2024, the series was renewed for a second season.
Reception
Leila Latif of The Guardian awarded the first episode four out of five stars, dubbing it "an absolute riot, strikingly performed and bracingly plotted". Aramide Tinubu of Variety praised the series' unique perspective on the genre with its characters and settings, remarking "Supacell considers how individualism has caused fractures in Western societies, specifically in Black communities that previously thrived because of collectivity. The show also reflects on why our dependence on technology undoubtedly comes at a cost".The series has raised awareness of life with sickle cell disease.