TV_and_Satellite_Week_-_28_September_2019

(Chris Devlin) #1

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Oscar-winning director
Steven Soderbergh is
behind this true-crime
series, coming in October.
In Afghanistan in 2012, US Army Lieutenant Clint
Lorance ordered fire on three local men, killing two
of them. He is now serving a 19-year sentence for
murder at Leavenworth penitentiary, but has he
been betrayed by the military justice system?

Making a Murderer on Netflix Leavenworth


on STARZPLAY


Yo u liked ... Now try this...


This true-crime series was a word-of-
mouth Netflix smash in 2015, examining
the conviction of Steven Avery and
Brendan Dassey for a 2005 murder they
say they didn’t commit. A second series in
2018 updated the case as lawyer Kathleen
Zellner tried to have the men released.

Alisha Wainwright is a single mother with a superpowered young boy...


This week on TV
Ja’Siah Young
as Dion

‘You come across so many
superhero stories that are told from
the perspective of the person with the
powers,’ says Wainwright, best known
as Shadowhunters’ Maia Roberts. ‘It
was so refreshing with this show to tell
the story from the point of view of the
person whose life is so dramatically
affected by those powers – the
caregiver of that young person.’
As Nicole struggles to raise her
superhero son and give him as normal
a childhood as possible, she begins to
fear that Dion could be kidnapped by
villains out to exploit his gifts, and she
turns to Mark’s scientist best friend
and former college buddy Pat
(Parenthood’s Jason Ritter) for help.
Together, they try to keep Dion’s
powers a secret, while also figuring
out the origin of his amazing abilities
and uncovering the sinister truth
about Mark’s untimely death.
Fans of Black Panther’s Michael B
Jordan will be delighted to see the
actor in flashbacks as Mark. He also
acts as executive producer on the
series alongside writer Liu, who
began the project several years ago.

If it’s a thrilling sci-fi adventure
you’re after as the Autumn evenings
draw in, then look no further than
Netflix’s brand-new superhero
drama, Raising Dion.
But the nine-part series isn’t your
usual Marvel-esque superhero story.
The series stems from a 2015 short
film and comic book of the same
name, created by Dennis Liu, and
follows single mum Nicole Warren
(Alisha Wainwright), who’s left to raise
son Dion alone after the mysterious
death of her husband, Mark.

EXTRA ABILITIES
That would be hard enough for
anyone to cope with, but Nicole’s
troubles are only just beginning when
Dion (played by newcomer Ja’Siah
Young) bizarrely starts to display
incredible superhero-type abilities,
including invisibility and telekinesis.

‘I wanted to see more diverse
representation in film and television,’
he explains. ‘More than ever we need
more stories told from different points
of view and my hope with Raising Dion
is to create a cinematic
experience for all.’
The series is jam-
packed with special
effects, including a
boat ride complete
with levitating fish.
Wainwright
admits the
green-
screen
scenes
were a

challenge, though the production
team helped out as best they could.

PARANORMAL DOUBTS
‘They did some beautiful drawings
of the fish in the air, so I had some
concept of what Nicole was
witnessing,’ says Wainwright.
‘That helped with the reaction
shots, because I was in complete
control of what Nicole was seeing.’
However, despite roles in
Shadowhunters and now
Raising Dion, Wainwright
admits she’s sceptical
about the supernatural.
‘I don’t believe in
ghosts,’ she says.
‘But if something
happened where
things started
floating around, or
someone I knew
started doing weird
stuff that I couldn’t
explain, I’m running.
I am not staying
anywhere near
that situation!’

NEW DRAMA


Raising Dion


From Friday 4 October, nine
episodes as a box set, Netflix

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Dion with mum
Nicole (Alisha
Wainwright)
Free download pdf