Amend trailer

In 2016, Netflix released Ava DuVernay’s 13th, a documentary about slavery and the prison system in America seen through the prism of the 13th Amendment of the Constitution. Five years later, there seems to be a Constitutional Cinematic Universe slowly forming at the streaming service.

Will Smith is hosting a multi-part documentary series called Amend: The Fight for America, which explores citizenship rights and equal protection under the law as written in the 14th Amendment. And it’s not just Smith who’s bringing the star power here: a whole bunch of big names are coming along for this particular ride.

Amend Trailer

I’ve never thought of Smith as a particularly political figure, but rather a ruthlessly smart and calculating superstar who is acutely aware of his global image and how to protect and maintain that. But maybe the murder of George Floyd last year and the massive protests and response to that despicable act (which was just one of countless others that have been happening for hundreds of years) spurred him to be a part of a series that highlights a promise made to the people of this country, but one that has not been kept. Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, it is an undeniable fact that there is not now (nor has there ever been) “equality for all” in the United States.

While you’re watching this trailer, see if you can spot all of the current famous faces throughout: there’s co-host Larry Wilmore, and appearances by Samuel L. Jackson, Laverne Cox, Bobby Cannavale, Diane Lane, Mahershala Ali, Pedro Pascal, Samira Wiley, Lena Waithe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Sterling K. Brown, Joshua Jackson, Diane Guerrero, and more.

Here is the synopsis for the six-part documentary series:

Amend: The Fight for America is a six-part docuseries that explores the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution – which, in 1868, promised liberty and equal protection for all persons – as America’s most enduring hallmark of democracy. Amend deploys a groundbreaking narrative format featuring a number of luminaries (Mahershala Ali, Diane Lane, Samuel L. Jackson, Pedro Pascal, Yara Shahidi, and more) breathing life into speeches and writings by the Fourteenth Amendment’s most ardent advocates and foes (including Frederick Douglass, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Andrew Johnson) with insights from an inclusive array of contemporary thought leaders and experts. Executive produced and hosted by Oscar-nominated actor Will Smith and Emmy-winning writer Larry Wilmore, Amend is a powerful, multimedia journey through American history that encourages viewers to question what a “United States” really means.

Amend: The Fight For America hits Netflix on February 17, 2021.

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