Blade’s Mahershala Ali to Star in New Hulu Limited Series The Plot

Blade star Mahershala Ali’s limited series The Plot is headed to Hulu. Ali, who will play Blade in an upcoming MCU film, will both star in and executive produce the eight-episode series for Onyx Collective on Hulu. The Plot is based on Jean Hanff Korelitz’s novel of the same name and follows Jake (Ali), a struggling author who is, according to the official synopsis, “primed to take advantage of any opportunity that might help revive his career. When a once in a lifetime opportunity presents itself, Jake commits an act of literary theft that changes his life irrevocably. Now, someone knows his secret and is threatening him…and we will see just how far Jake will go to protect himself and the life he’s built.”

The Plot lands with the Onyx Collective following a highly competitive bidding war. The series will stream on Hulu in the United States, Star+ in Latin America, and Disney+ in all other territories. In addition to Ali, Mimi Valdes and Amatus Karim Ali will also executive produce through their Know Wonder production company. Abby Ajay is adapting the novel as executive producer and showrunner with global content film and TV studio Endeavor Content producing the series along with Layne Eskridge’s POV and Kristen Campo. Both Eskridge and Campo played a key part in putting the series together. The Plot is the first project taken to market under Eskridge’s (Manhunt) producing deal with Endeavor Content. Campo (Truth Be Told, The Killing) recently renewed her deal with the studio. The Plot marks Endeavor Content’s continued relationship with Hulu after the studio produced Nine Perfect Strangers, the platform’s most-watched original series premiere, and Amy Schumer’s upcoming series Life & Beth.

“I was captivated with Hanff Korelitz’s book, The Plot and Abby’s distinct point of view reinvents the story in a way that spoke to me and our mission at Onyx Collective. There are so many interesting angles and nuances, that having the creative genius that is Mahershala Ali at the center of this mystery, is just a dream,” Tara Duncan, president of Freeform and Onyx Collective said in a statement. “Kristen and Layne have done a phenomenal job bringing this team together and I could not be more proud to work alongside them and Endeavor Content to bring this incredible series to our global audience.”

“I’m thrilled to be adapting Jean’s brilliantly compelling and thrilling novel, which hooked me from its opening pages. From the start, I knew that the peerless Mahershala Ali would be the perfect Jake. I’m excited by the nuance, the humanity and the complexity he’ll bring to the role,” Ajayi said. “Going on this journey with Layne, Kristen and the teams at Know Wonder and Endeavor Content has been a dream. The icing on the cake is finding our home with Tara Duncan at Onyx.”

Onyx Collective is a new content brand under Disney General Entertainment Content designed to curate a slate of premium programming by artists of color and underrepresented voices. Their debut project, Questlove’s award-winning documentary Summer of Soul (…or, When the Revolution Could Not be Televised) was released in the summer of 2021.

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