Empire actor Jussie Smollett is transitioning to feature director for the first time with his upcoming film B-Boy Blues. Set to kickoff production on October 17, the film will be an adaptation of the classic James Earl Hardy’s novel of the same name.
The 1994 book delved into the lives of hip hop influenced, black gay men living in the “Big Apple.” The story follows the evolving relationship between two men of opposite spectrums of the black community. Mitchell Crawford is a young, educated professional who meets a menacing and street Raheim. The aftermath is a love story for the ages.
The film will be produced under Smollett’s SuperMassive Movies, in partnership with independent film investor Tom Wilson of Cleveland, Ohio. Legendary choreographer and creative director Frank Gatson will also produce, along with Madia Hill Scott, Sampson McCormich and Hardy.
While B-Boy Blues will be Smollett’s feature directorial debut, he has earned directing credits on two episodes of the Empire television series filmed in 2018.
B-Boy Blues is the first TV or film project that Smollett has officially been a part of since his departure from Lee Daniels and Danny Strong’s record label drama, Empire.
After filing a report claiming he was attacked by two men wearing “Make America Great Again” hats while walking on the streets of Chicago in January 2019, the actor faced a mind-boggling charge of 16 felony counts for making false claims in a police report. Smollett shared his version of the incident in a conversation with Marc Lamont Hill in September.
