John Boyega and Letitia Wright to star in Steve McQueen's BBC anthology series 'Small Axe'

Actors John Boyega and Letitia Wright will be toplining filmmaker Steve McQueen's London-set 1970s anthology series "Small Axe".

The six-episode series, which will air on BBC One in 2020 in the UK, has been conceived and written by the Oscar-winning filmmaker along with Alastair Siddons and Courttia Newland. Alex Wheatle will be serving as a writing consultant on the show.

Boyega, who broke out with "Star Wars: The Force Awakens", and Wright, best known for playing Shuri in Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), will be joined by Malachi Kirby, Shaun Parkes, Rochenda Sandall, Alex Jennings, and Jack Lowden in the cast, BBC said in a statement.

The series will tell five different stories about London's West Indian community that span the late 1960s to the early 1980s.

The title comes from a Jamaican proverb that says "If you are the big tree, we are the small axe". It also happens to be the title of one of Bob Marley's songs on the album 'Catch a Fire'.

"I felt these stories needed to be shared. I wanted to re-live, re-evaluate and investigate the journeys that my parents and the first generation of West Indians went on to deliver me here today calling myself a Black British person.

"What's important about our stories is that they are local but at the same time global. I think audiences will identify with the trials, tribulations and joy of our characters as well as reflecting on the present environment in which we find ourselves," McQueen said.

The show is a joint collaboration between BBC One, Turbine Studios and Lammas Park. McQueen will also executive produce it alongside Tracey Scoffield and David Tanner.

"Small Axe" has started production with shooting taking place in London. The show will be distributed in the United States through Amazon Prime Video.