Celebrate Juneteenth With Sci-Fi From Black Creators, Stars on Peacock

Marking this year's Juneteenth — the United States' newest Federal holiday — is an opportunity to celebrate Black creators and actors who are telling memorable stories, including those in genre and sci-fi.

Peacock's June library of film and television titles include an array of hits, classics and even some hidden gems that are readily available to check out however you choose to spend the holiday. 

RELATED: The best horror slashers on Peacock

SYFY WIRE has curated some worthy-watches that shine the light of excellence....

M3GAN

The first big hit of 2023, M3GAN is the brainchild of Black screenwriter Akela Cooper and director James Wan. An MFA graduate from USC and recipient of the NAACP/CBS Writer's Fellowship, Cooper is a brilliant new voice in modern horror, with her other recent works including the films Hell Fest (2018) and Malignant (2021), and the genre TV shows, Grimm and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Look for her next scripts for The Nun 2 and the M3GAN 2. 

Night of the Living Dead

George A. Romero's seminal, flesh-eating ghoul thriller, Night of the Living Dead, changed the whole horror genre and launched what would become the zombie genre. The writer/director also cast stage actor Duane Jones as the film's lead and hero, Ben. With Black actors rarely cast as heroes in 1968, Jones became a pioneer for his mere presence in a horror film and then proceeded to give audiences an incredible performance that represents the emotional heart of the grisly classic. 

Intergalactic (2021)

A post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller set in 2143, Intergalactic is a British television series that stars South African actress Savannah Steyn as former cop, Ash Harper. She's framed for stealing a depleted energy source that is integral in this futuristic, climate change impacted world. Thrown onto a prisoner transport ship, Ash rallies her fellow women convicts in a mutiny to save their lives. A hidden gem, Ash is great as the heroine who finds her new allies. 

Midnight, Texas 

The supernatural drama based on Charlaine Harris' books, Midnight, Texas ran for two seasons on NBC and was showrun by veteran genre writer, Monica Owusu-Breen. A known voice in modern genre TV, Breen worked her way up the episodic genre ladder writing for such modern classics as Lost, Alias, Fringe and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. With Midnight, Texas, she and her writers charted the misadventures of young psychic Manfred Bernardo (François Arnaud) in the dusty little town filled with other empowered citizens. 

Android Cop (2014)

A guilty pleasure homage to RoboCop, Android Cop is also a futuristic exploration of robotic cops on the beat in the future. Set in 2045, the film stars the Black cast of Michael Jai White as human Officer Hammond, Randy Wayne as Android Cop/Andy and Kadeem Hardison and Charles S. Dutton.

Second Coming

Second Coming is a touching and quiet tale full of magical realism, the film stars Idris Elba and Nadine Marshall. Written and directed by lauded British playwrite, Debbie Tucker Green. A mystery, the film unfolds around a woman who becomes pregnant under unusual circumstances and the impact it has on her family. 

Vampire in Vegas

Any horror title that features the OG horror legend Tony Todd earns our attention. In Vampire in Vegas, Todd plays 300-year old vampire, Sylvian, who hires a modern doctor to create a cure for him to survive in the sun. She tests the serum out in the Nevada desert and let's just say that things get out of hand and it all comes back to the Strip. 

For more sci-fi, horror and fantasy movies, check out Peacock's full library.