The critical and box office success of Straight Outta Compton has sparked interest in telling the hip-hop story, in a way we haven’t seen since the ’80s. Someone who has taken advantage of that is RZA, the mastermind and musical guru of the Wu-Tang Clan, one of the most influential rap groups ever. Lately, we’ve seen a surge of Wu-Tang projects, such as Showtime’s incredible docu-series Of Mics and Men. But Hulu has something more, the 10-episode miniseries Wu-Tang: An American Saga, a biopic chronicling the group’s formation on the gritty streets of New York.
The brainchild of RZA, who co-created and co-wrote the series with Alex Tse (Watchmen), it follows RZA aka Bobby Diggs as he forms his musical persona, merging his love of kung fu flicks with hip-hop. That’s evidenced by the trailer’s central slogan, “Born in Shaolin, Made in America.”
We get glimpses of other key members of the Wu-Tang, including Method Man, Raekwon, GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and Ghostface Killah. Others will appear, as well. But don’t expect to see the actual members of the group, as they are played by a cast that includes Shameik Moore, Ashton Sanders, Siddiq Saunderson, Zolee Griggs, Dave East, Joey Badass, Erika Alexander, and Marcus Callender. I don’t envy anybody having to embody the spirit and charisma of some of these guys. Good luck.
Here’s the synopsis: Wu-Tang: An American Saga is inspired by “The Wu-Tang Manual” and “Tao of Wu”, and based on the true story of the Wu-Tang Clan. Set in early ’90s New York at the height of the crack cocaine epidemic, the show tracks the Clan’s formation, a vision of Bobby Diggs aka The RZA, who unites the men torn between music and crime but eventually rise to become the unlikeliest of American success stories.
Wu-Tang: An American Saga hits Hulu on September 4th.
