Former Southfield police officer Anthony McNeil plays mob boss Adolph Sinclair in the new Netflix series, “I Declare War,” coming in November. There will be a special screening of the first two episodes at 8 p.m. Oct. 3 at the Star Theater Southfield. A new original Netflix series shoots to put Detroit back in the spotlight.
“I Declare War” follows the conflicts of three crime families — one white, one black and one Middle Eastern — each looking to take over Detroit. It’s shot entirely in the Motor City with a 95 percent Detroit-based cast.
Actor Anthony McNeil, a former Southfield police officer who plays Adolph Sinclair in the series, describes it as addictive.
“Once you start the show, you can’t stop,” McNeil says. “Once you watch it from the beginning, you’re going to want to watch it all the way through. Stuff will happen, that as far as I know, has never happened on TV before.”
McNeil easily shifts gears from fighting crime to fighting the law, playing a crime boss and head of the Sinclair family.
“Every role before, I’ve always played the cop,” he says. “I was a cop for 20 years. Seeing how movie cops are, I thought there was always a big gap in reality. Reading for this part I always thought, ‘How can I incorporate what I’ve done as a cop into this character?’ And a lot of myself is put into this character.”
With a local cast in familiar locations, metro-Detroit viewers will have plenty to look forward to as this show picks up steam.
McNeil describes the show as a unique crime series, attributing most of its uniqueness to the characters’ personal struggles. “They’re supposed to be mob bosses, but they have everyday problems,” he says.
Writer-director Dennis L. Reed II turned down several big-name offers to shoot this gritty drama at home, McNeil says.
“The original plan for the show was to shoot this for ABC, but they wanted the show to be shot in L.A.,” he says. “Dennis didn’t want to do that, he wanted this to be shot in Detroit because he’s a die-hard Detroiter.”
Netflix picked up the show for eight episodes to premiere in November. Those looking for a sneak peek may attend a special screening of the first two episodes at a red carpet premiere 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Star Theater Southfield 20, 25333 12 Mile Road, Southfield. General admission tickets are $25; VIP tickets with afterglow at Opyum Lounge, 24587 W. Eight Mile, Detroit, are $40. Visit bit.ly/1Ghz4P9 for tickets. And visit the series on facebook.com/ideclarewartv.
