Jussie Smollett will be making his directorial debut on BET+. Following his conviction for making a false report about a hate crime, the actor/singer will be helming B-Boy Blues for the streaming service.

B-Boy Blues will premiere on June 9, according to Variety. It’s based on the novel of the same name by James Earl Hardy, who wrote the screenplay along with Smollett. The film is described as “a clash of class and culture when Mitchell Crawford, a college-educated journalist from Brooklyn, and Raheim Rivers, a bike messenger from Harlem, fall in love.”

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – MARCH 26: Actor Jussie Smollett waves as he follows his attorney to the microphones after his court appearance at Leighton Courthouse on March 26, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. This morning in court it was announced that all charges were dropped against the actor. (Photo by Nuccio DiNuzzo/Getty Images)

Hardy also executive produces the film via his It’s All Jood Productions company, along with Mona Scott-Young and Stephanie Gayle for Monami Entertainment. Scott-Young, the reality show maven, is also a producer on the film and helped close the deal with BET+.

“Through our content slate, we are intentional about representing the fullness of the Black experience, including that of the LGBTQ+ community,” said BET+ exec VP/GM Devin Griffin. “‘B-Boy Blues is an artful, heart-rending film about the complexity of love – something we all can relate to.”

B-Boy Blues stars Ledisi, Timothy Richardson, Brandee Evans, Heather B, Marquise Vilson, Jabari Redd, Broderick Hunter, and Thomas Mackie. It premiered at the 2021 American Black Film Festival, where it won the Narrative Feature Fan Favorite Award.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – MARCH 10: Actor Jussie Smollett is led out of the courtroom after being sentenced at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on March 10, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. Jussie Smollett was found guilty late last year of lying to police about a hate crime after he reported to police that two masked men physically attacked him, yelling racist and anti-gay remarks near his Chicago home in 2019. He was sentenced to 150 days in jail, 30 months probation, ordered to pay $120,000 restitution to the city of Chicago and fined $25,000. (Photo by Brian Cassella-Pool/Getty Images)

Smollett is working his way back into show business after his conviction on five counts of disorderly conduct. The former Empire actor claimed he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack in Chicago in January 2019. He was sentenced to 150 days in jail, along with 30 months of felony probation, and was fined.

Despite his conviction, Smollett was released from jail days into his sentencing after he was granted bond pending an appeal filed by his legal team.

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