Two of the busiest people working in Hollywood today are Yahya Abdul-Matten and Michael B. Jordan; the two are collectively attached to so many projects it’s hard to keep track of all of them. And well, they’re adding enough one to the list as two are combining forces for an FBI thriller at Amazon Studios based on actual events that focus on the federal government’s racial profiling post-9/11.
The Hollywood Reporter dishes on the latest film in development, “I Helped Destroy People,” which is based on the Janet Reitman article at the New York Times that chronicles Terry Albury, an FBI agent who was tasked with infiltrating Muslim communities after the 9/11 attacks.
Albury eventually grew so disillusioned by the war on terror and the agency’s violations of its rules on domestic terrorism that, after 16 years and commendations signed by former FBI directors Robert Mueller and James Comey, he began leaking classified documents to the press. Despite hoping he’d expose a system that abused innocents and their new law enforcement powers, he landed a four-year stint in prison and was convicted under the Espionage Act.
Abdul-Matten II is set to star, we assume as Albury, while Jordan will produce the film via his production company, Outlier Society. It’s unknown if Jordan will take a role in the project, but there is a good chance if his dance card isn’t too full that, he could appear. Writer Ben Watkins (“Hand of God”) is adapting the article into a screenplay.
Jordan will make his directing debut with “Creed III” and is attached to co-star with Will Smith in the sequel to the sci-fi horror film “I Am Legend.”