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FX Picked Up Blitz Bazawule’s The Scent of Burnt Flowers — Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Attached to Star

FX closed a deal to develop a limited series adaptation of Blitz Bazawule’s upcoming debut novel The Scent of Burnt Flowers with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II attached to star in it.

The Scent of Burnt Flowers centers on Melvin and Bernadette, a Black couple fleeing persecution in 1960s America. They seek asylum in Ghana, where they meet charismatic Ghanaian musician Kwesi, who they lean on to preserve their freedom.

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Abdul-Mateen would play Kwesi in the series, which intertwines the dark chapters of history with a magical realist lens, elevating the story to an otherworldly experience.

Bazawule’s debut novel is set to publish June 28 via Ballantine Books/Penguin Random House. And as far as the FX series goes, Bazawule will write, direct and produce the six-episode limted series under his newly minted entity Inward Gaze.

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Abdul-Mateen will also executive produce under his production shingle House Eleven10 alongside Macro Television Studios. Charles D. King, Marta Fernandez and Ahmadou Seck will executive produce for Macro Television Studios, as will Gaby Mena and Natalia Williams of M88.

Up next, Bazawule is directing the Warner Bros musical feature adaptation of the The Color Purple. And for Abdul-Mateen, he next stars opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in Universal’s Ambulance directed by Michael Bay, which releases wide April 8. Abdul-Mateen recently launched House Eleven10, a home for different narrative universes, illustrating both the magic and humanity within them including extraordinary stories about ordinary people. Its mission is to uplift talent from underrepresented communities.

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