‘I May Destroy You’ Trailer: Michaela Coel’s Provocative HBO Drama Series Explores Life After Assault

Dating, sex, relationships…all of it has changed and you can just look at the way they are covered in films and TV to see it. HBO’s new series I May Destroy You promises to explore them in a bold new way, led by BAFTA-winning writer, co-director, and star Michaela Coel as a woman reexamining her life after a sexual assault.

Coel, whose series Chewing Gum put her on the map, leads the provocative series about a London journalist whose career is on the upswing. But when her drink is spiked and she becomes the victim of an assault, she must find a way to come to terms with what happened. There’s a personal component to this, as Coel has talked about being assaulted during her time on Chewing Gum.

The cast of I May Destroy You includes Weruche Opia (Inside No9) and Paapa Essiedu (Kiri), Aml Ameen (Yardie), Adam James (Belgravia), Sarah Niles (Catastrophe), Ann Akin (Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams), Harriet Webb (Plebs), Ellie James (Giri/Haji), Franc Ashman (Peep Show), Karan Gill (Flesh & Blood), Natalie Walter (Horrible Histories), and Samson Ajewole.

I May Destroy You hits HBO on June 7th.

SYNOPSIS: Following triumph from a piece of writing that garnered internet acclaim, Arabella Essiuedu (Coel) – easily distracted, non-committal and carefree – finds herself feted as the ‘voice of her generation,’ with an agent, a book commission and a helluva lot of pressure. After being sexually assaulted in a nightclub, her life changes irreversibly and Arabella is forced to reassess everything: her career, her friends, even her family. As Arabella struggles to come to terms with what has happened, she begins a journey of self-discovery.

Travis Hopson
Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.