Michaela Coel is set to star in, write, and executive produce a new drama series that is being co-produced by HBO and the BBC.
Titled “First Day on Earth,” the series also boasts “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong among its executive producers. Phil Clarke and Roberto Troni also executive produce for Armstrong’s Various Artists Limited, as does Jo McClellan for the BBC and Piers Wenger for A24. Filming on the series will begin in 2025.
“I am delighted to be working with VAL, HBO and the BBC again, and to partner with A24; thanks to all of their combined taste, care and expertise, I feel our show is in great hands,” Coel said. “‘First Day on Earth’ is another very personal story for me which I hope will engage viewers from all over the world, and I can’t wait for audiences to go on Henri’s journey with her.”
The official logline for the series states:
“British novelist Henri (Coel) is stuck. Work has dried up, her relationship is going nowhere. So when she’s offered a job on a film in Ghana, West Africa – her parents’ homeland, where her estranged father lives – she can’t resist the chance to reconnect with him and the country of her heritage. But when she arrives neither the job nor her father turn out the way she expected, and soon Henri has to deal with danger and hypocrisy, form new friendships, lose her illusions, and create a new sense of identity – one that might leave her stronger, but could also break her.”
Coel is best known for creating, starring in, and executive producing the critically-acclaimed limited series “I May Destroy You,” which also saw her partner with the BBC, HBO, and Various Artists. That show aired in 2020 and quickly became one of the most celebrated shows of the year. Coel won the Emmy Award for outstanding writing for a limited series, with the show also winning the Emmy for outstanding music supervision out of its nine total nominations.
“Michaela’s words have the ability to transport the reader like no other,” said Amy Gravitt, executive vice president of HBO & Max comedy programming. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue the conversation that began with ‘I May Destroy You,’ alongside our close collaborators at VAL, A24 and the BBC. With Henri as our guide, ‘First Day on Earth’ is as lyrical as it is visceral in its excavation of the idea of home.”
This will be Coel’s first writing credit since “I May Destroy You.” She previously created and starred in the E4 series “Chewing Gum,” which aired two seasons between 2015 and 2017. As an actress, Coel has been in films like “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Been So Long,” and “Monsters: Dark Continent.” Her television credits include “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” “Black Earth Rising,” multiple episodes of “Black Mirror,” and “Top Boy.” Coel will also star in the upcoming film “Mother Mary,” which is being distributed by A24.
She is repped by UTA and Maison 2.
“We’re delighted and feel extremely lucky that Michaela chose to bring her brilliant new show to us, after the extraordinary experience we had working together on ‘I May Destroy You,’” Clarke and Troni said. “Yet again, Michaela delivers a highly original, singular story that explores the relationship between England and Ghana via a second generation British-Ghanaian woman who takes up the opportunity to return to the homeland of her parents and finds herself encountering a cast of memorable characters and experiences that force her to face some painful home truths. But as ever with Michaela, it is by turns shocking, funny and unforgettable, and done in her inimitable style.”
“Michaela is one of those exceptional talents whose work I have long admired,” added Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama. “‘I May Destroy You’ is one of the reasons I wanted to join the BBC! In ‘First Day on Earth,’ Michaela has created another unmissable series – truly original, heartfelt, hilarious, poetic storytelling and told in a way that only Michaela can. I can’t wait for everyone to see it.”