Yahya Abdul-Mateen II joins cast of 'I Helped Destroy People'
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, last seen in the box office disappointment called The Matrix Resurrections, has signed his next. He will soon star in I Helped Destroy People, an Amazon Studios film, and also produce it. Michael B Jordan (Creed series, Black Panther) is also a producer of this venture. It is based on Janet Reitman's 2021 New York Times article by the same name.
In the film, Abdul-Mateen II will play Terry Albury, an FBI agent who was assigned to infiltrate the Muslim communities after the 9/11 attack. He was the only African-American agent at his bureau. It is said that the real-life Albury grew so disillusioned by the FBI's way of handling terrorism that he disclosed classified documents to news site The Intercept. He's currently in jail.
The NYT article had quoted Albury as saying, "There is this mythology surrounding the war on terrorism, and the FBI, that has given agents the power to ruin the lives of...innocent people based solely on what part of the world they came from, or what religion they practice, or the color of their skin...I did that." "I helped destroy people. For 17 years."
Meanwhile, the script of the biographical drama will be penned by Ben Watkins. To note, Watkins had earlier created Hand of God for Amazon Studios. The psychological thriller series ran for three years from 2014. The production team of I Helped Destroy People has Jordan and Elizabeth Raposo's banner Outlier Society, Amazon Studios, and Abdul-Mateen II under his banner House Eleven10 on the board.
Meanwhile, I Helped Destroy People is yet to start production. For now, Abdul-Mateen II is busy promoting his upcoming film, Michael Bay-directed Ambulance, which is gearing up for release in April. He will also reprise his role as Black Manta in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Further, he is attached to star in and produce an FX limited series, named Scent of Burnt Flowers.
