Jussie Smollett to Make Feature Directorial Debut W/ James Earl Hardy Book Adaptation Of ‘B-Boy Blues’

Jussie Smollett to Make Feature Directorial Debut W/ James Earl Hardy Book Adaptation Of ‘B-Boy Blues’

Congratulations are in order for Jussie Smollett who is preparing for his feature directorial debut with B-Boy Blues. B-Boy Blues will be a film adaptation of James Earl Hardy’s classic 1994 novel and is set to start production on October 17th. B-Boy Blues centers on a complicated romantic relationship between two Black men in the summer of 1993. Even though this will be Jussie Smollett’s first time directing a film he has previously directed episodes of Empire prior to leaving the show and several music videos. Jussie Smollett will also produce the film along with author Hardy, investor Tom Wilson, Frank Gatson, Sampson McCormick, and Madia Hill Scott.

Jussie Smollett made headlines this past September for trying again to get the lawsuit against him for allegedly staging a hate crime last January dismissed. The previous felony charges against him were dropped, however, a second indictment was filed based on a grand jury decision, which included testimony from brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo. The two brothers claim that Jussie Smollett paid them to attack him because he was upset about his salary from the Fox show Empire.

In his most recent attempt to get the case dropped, Jussie Smollett filed a motion claiming that “illegal and incompetent evidence” was collected from the Osundairo brothers.

The motion reads:

“The OSP cannot have it both ways. It cannot convene a special grand jury based on Judge Toomin’s Order but then rely on the transcripts from those ‘void’ proceedings to secure a new indictment.”

It continues:

“Furthermore, there is no legitimate reason why the Osundairo brothers were not called to provide live testimony to the special grand jury, particularly when they live locally in Chicago, were available and cooperating with the OSP, and reportedly met with the OSP for hours only one month earlier.”

The motion also claims that a reason the brothers weren’t called in for live testimony is because the:

“OSP did not want to suborn further perjury by the Osundairo brothers, it did not want to risk having the brothers make additional contradictory statements prior to trial, and it did not want to allow the jurors their statutory right to question the Osundairo brothers about the incident.”

Court documents add:

“Thus, based on the record available to the defense, the grand jurors were not aware that they could subpoena and question the Osundairo brothers instead of relying on their one-sided testimony presented by the OSP from proceedings which have been invalidated by the court. The grand jurors were also not advised that they had the power to make their own investigation unaided by the special prosecutor or the court.”

“The OSP’s failure to inform the special grand jury at the commencement of the proceedings, before each witness testified, and before a true bill was requested, misled the grand jury and deprived Mr. Smollett of his right to the due process of law.”

A hearing on the motion is set for Oct. 14.

What are your thoughts on Jussie Smollett directing the film B-Boy? Let us know in the comments