‘I don’t need it to be like Marvel’: the Netflix superhero drama swapping spandex for south London

This is a superhero origin story. That’s, the story of Andrew “Rapman” Onwubolu’s triumphant round-trip from south London to Hollywood and again once more. Supacell, Rapman’s epic sci-fi fantasy sequence, which lands on Netflix this week is one thing subtly totally different: “I name it a brilliantenergy story,” says Rapman – “Raps” to his pals – with a relaxed grin. “Everyone seems to be out for themselves. They’re very a lot flawed, bizarre people. Nobody’s bought capes on. Nobody’s making an attempt to save lots of the world.”

Like Rapman’s 2019 field workplace breakthrough, Blue Story – Lewisham’s reply to West Facet Story – or the irresistibly soapy story of badman betrayal that’s 2018 YouTube sequence Shiro’s Story, Supacell has a Black-majority forged and a south-east London setting. In contrast to these earlier hits, this sequence forgoes the film-maker’s trademark rap narration and options characters who can do issues like teleport. Or flip invisible. Or transfer objects with their minds. Even so, realism of a form was essential: “If me otherwise you get powers, would the very first thing we’d do be to cease a bridge falling in China? In all probability not. We’re most likely going to determine use this to advance ourselves and our households.”

Supacell brings us right into a world that is likely to be fantastical, however which can also be very acquainted. Characters vary from supply van driver Michael (Tosin Cole) and struggling single dad Andre (Eric Kofi-Abrefa) to small-time weed vendor Rodney (Calvin Demba), coldly bold gang chief Tazer (Josh Tedeku) and accountable, barely repressed nurse Sabrina (Nadine Mills). At first, the 5 use their newly found powers for their very own petty ends – to get out of a jam, or get again at a two-timing ex – however because the mysterious supply of their powers is revealed, the 5 realise how excessive the stakes actually are, and that they’ll must work collectively to outlive.

Rising up within the London borough of Lewisham throughout the mid-00s uptick in avenue violence often known as the “postcode wars”, the closest factor younger Raps needed to a superpower was his pure aptitude for storytelling. He units the scene: “A rival gang would come to the realm and do one thing loopy, after which the following day everybody that wasn’t there could be like, ‘Yo, what occurred?!’” At this level, if another wannabe raconteur stepped up, they had been rapidly dismissed. “Like, ‘Nah, simply let Rapman inform it, please. I encourage you …’ As a result of I’d throw a bit of sauce in there. That was at all times my second; to inform the story of what went down yesterday.”

This advanced into writing screenplays and making quick movies to place on-line – all with none specific profession plan in thoughts. “I didn’t even know movie colleges existed … However I beloved storytelling a lot, and I knew I might put issues on YouTube, so I simply began doing the YouTube factor, YouTubing and YouTubing. After which, ultimately, I began getting well-liked.”

That’s an understatement. The third and ultimate instalment of Shiro’s Story handed 1,000,000 views in simply 5 hours. The sequence has, thus far, amassed over 33m views. Jay-Z took word and signed Rapman to Roc Nation in 2018. Rapman has spoken beforehand about soaking within the legendary rap mogul’s enterprise knowledge throughout their first in-person assembly that 12 months (“He was dropping naked gems on me,” he instructed Capital FM. “[He said] individuals suppose you’ve bought to be ready of energy to authoritate energy, however that’s not how it’s; your energy is within you.”) Then, in 2019, Blue Story recouped its £1.3m price range practically 4 occasions over, regardless of being pulled from UK screens by two main cinema chains over a brawl at a Birmingham cinema which, it later turned out, could have originated in a Frozen II screening anyway.

By 2020, Rapman was being wooed by Hollywood, a uniquely head-spinning expertise. “I had studios sending me like three scripts a day.” To the consternation of some day-one followers, he settled on an English-language remake of Jacques Audiard’s critically acclaimed prison-gang thriller A Prophet as his subsequent venture. “I wasn’t gonna do it at first. Like I’ve bought so many authentic tales … Then they flew my household out to Disney World. I used to be like, ‘Woah … Disney World?!’.”

Selection reported on the deal in early 2020, with Russell Crowe hooked up to star, however after a 12 months of exhausting work, Rapman acquired phrase it had been canned. “Covid scared them … they stated they’d bought a backlog of films.” Regardless of his preliminary reservations, this was a blow. “Actually, I felt like I’d misplaced all wind out of my stomach. After which the producer, within the nicest method doable, stated, ‘Look, cuz, that’s Hollywood’.”

That is Hollywood. The highway to opening weekend is affected by damaged contracts, unmade opuses and endless delays. A extra seasoned trade insider may need shrugged it off, however Rapman didn’t come up the normal method and, consequently, he does issues in another way. “I’d already carried out the deal for Supacell whereas I used to be engaged on the Prophet and I keep in mind saying, ‘There isn’t any method on the planet I’m shedding two inexperienced lights in a row’.” At this level, Rapman disbanded the writers’ room that Netflix had put collectively for Supacell – “It simply weren’t working” – and opted to jot down each episode himself. “So, if individuals love Supacell, I can put my palms up and say ‘Thanks, that was me.’ And if individuals hate it, I can’t say, ‘Effectively, Netflix made me … ’ I can’t. I’ve to carry that as properly.”

That is the superpowered self-reliance that in outsider standing can create. Having no formal coaching or household connections has allowed Rapman to develop a storytelling type that – due to YouTube’s prompt suggestions – is intuitively insync together with his viewers, and – due to Jay-Z’s recommendation – impervious to the whims of studio executives. Does he ever really feel the hand of destiny at work? “Yeah, I do, in a method. I really feel like if I don’t do it, who will? If I don’t go away the UK one thing that’s gonna see us in an even bigger mild, who will do it?”

And now he’s carried out it. Supacell pulls off that elusive steadiness of realism and escapism, not simply excelling on the actuality of Black British London life, however that includes sufficient epic-scale motion and slick visuals and dramatic cliffhangers to attract in a global crowd. Climactic scenes could use iconic London landmarks – there’s an inter-dimensional battle at an eerily traffic-free Piccadilly Circus, and a tense gangland negotiation outdoors Greenwich’s Previous Royal Naval School – however at all times with a relatable, human context. In the meantime there’s a grime and drill soundtrack handpicked by Rapman, and first-time critical performing roles for London rappers Ghetts and Digga D. If Prime Boy put Black Britain on TV’s world map, Supacell is increasing the boundaries of that territory.

That is one thing actor Tosin Cole can respect. “I used to be [reading the script] turning the pages and I used to be like, I know individuals like that,” says Cole, who performs Michael, a predominant character whose unusual, premonitory imaginative and prescient of flame-ball throwing hooded figures in a dystopian cityscape units the motion in movement. Cole was born in New York earlier than shifting to south London aged eight and is a transatlantic expertise, with a CV ranging from enjoying a Resistance starfighter pilot in Star Wars: The Power Awakens to one in every of Jules’s working-class social gathering buddies in Joanna Hogg’s The Memento. After so many roles requiring an American accent, Supacell seems like a homecoming: “I imply, Raps, simply being from round the best way, even when he’s given me a word, it’ll be like probably the most south London word ever. Like, ‘Brudda! Y’geddit?’ And I’ll be like ‘Sure, I perceive each single factor you simply stated.’”

Rapman, 35, says he primarily based Cole’s supply van driver character on his personal different life path – the best way his life may need gone, had the movie and TV making not labored out – whereas ruthless gang chief Tazer (Tedeku), who can render himself invisible at will, is a model of his youthful self: “All my pals that grew up with me within the Tazer world grew to become van drivers. They make good cash as properly, so it was essential to me that they didn’t look as in the event that they weren’t incomes.” Today although, he relates extra to the conscientious single-dad character, Andre. Which is why any slang within the script has been left to the youthful forged members: “If I wrote a useless phrase, the actor who performs Twosie [Andy Thompson] could be like, ‘Eh Raps, man, this phrase right here man … Like, bruvva, nobody don’t say that, y’know?’. They’ll throw it in and I’ll allow them to hold it, if it is sensible.”

The standard dialogue additionally appealed to Adelayo Adedayo, who performs Michael’s girlfriend Dionne. Particularly, the best way it subtly integrates themes that have an effect on Black individuals’s lives – from “lacking white lady syndrome” to medical racism. “There’s a bit the place they’re watching a model of Love Island, and my character references the best way Black ladies are handled on actuality reveals.” It struck her as an indication of Rapman’s talent and sensitivity. “Simply in that little, small line, you possibly can see [the importance of] what Raps has carried out.”

Such popular culture commentary comes simply to somebody of Rapman’s voracious viewing habits. “Keep in mind, I watch all the pieces. That’s how I discovered to do what I do.” He additionally wrote the character of cockney huge boy Rodney with actor Calvin Demba in thoughts, after recognizing him within the Alison Steadman-starring BBC drama Life. “That was an incredible large praise!” says a delighted Demba. “And I undoubtedly did see some similarities with Rodney, like his common patter and we’re each ineffective at enterprise.”

Rapman could watch BBC dramas, however he didn’t need Supacell to seem like one. “Y’know, it’s gray, it’s British … it’s good, however I wished this to be, should you’re strolling previous the TV on mute, you’re undecided what nation it’s filmed in.” To that finish, along with director of images Aaron Reid and the visible effectsteam, he spent weeks fastidiously devising a polished-but-plausible look that will, by advantage of its London realness, stand out within the superhero-saturated leisure panorama: “I don’t need the powers to be too exaggerated, like we had been making an attempt to be Marvel” – whereas additionally eschewing the “UK guidelines” he’s seen hamper his contemporaries. “They don’t wish to suppose too large, in case it doesn’t get made. Whereas I’ve at all times been like, suppose large. Then somebody must come large to make it, y’know?”

This has required Rapman to return large in flip, by moving into the demanding position of writer-director-showrunner. “Put it this manner, there’s no film that would scare me after doing Supacell. I used to be telling my agent the opposite day, ‘Ship the $200m price range films. I’m able to go, man.’” And on this proof, he’s already flying.