WATCH: Captivating Debut Trailer for ‘O.J.: Made in America’

By Sameer Rao Apr 08, 2016

O.J. Simpson’s mid-90s arrest for the murder of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman—and the subsequent trial that polarized and captivated the nation—forms only one part of ESPN’s upcoming 30 for 30 documentary, "O.J.: Made in America."

The seven-and-a-half-hour documentary uses footage from Simpson’s NFL career and post-football life alongside infamous visuals of violence against Black people in Los Angeles, including LAPD officers beating Rodney King. The trailer, underscored by two haunting renditions of the African-American spiritual "Sinnerman," emphasizes the documentary’s core focus on the racial context in which Simpson lived. 

"It is a much bigger story, one that explores O.J.’s life and how race and his pursuit of celebrity shaped it…while at the same time documenting the racial dynamics of L.A. and the relationship between its police force and black citizens—a relationship thrust front and center into the discussion of the murders, and one that proved a vital determinant in the outcome of the trial," the documentary’s director Ezra Edelman told Entertainment Weekly

The first part of "O.J.: Made in America" will premiere on June 11 on ABC at 9 p.m. EST. ESPN will then air it in five parts beginning June 14, and New York City’s Tribeca Film Festival will host a full marathon screening on April 23.

The "O.J.: Made in America" trailer arrives three days after the series finale for FX’s acclaimed miniseries, "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story." 

(H/t Bleacher Report