Wonder Man star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has a new mission beyond the screen. The Emmy-winning actor says he is actively studying where Hollywood’s money originates, determined to unlock financing Black stories at the same quality level as his own breakout roles.
Abdul-Mateen, who currently stars as Simon Williams in the critically acclaimed Marvel series, is treating Hollywood’s financial machinery like a script he needs to master. Every day on set, he watches. He questions. He learns who writes the checks and why.
“It is my goal and a part of my mission statement to push more Black and diverse stories with more Black and diverse leads at a quality level that matches what I’ve been able to do in my career thus far,” the actor declares.
This isn’t just ambition. It’s a deliberate strategy. Abdul-Mateen has been vocal about choosing roles carefully, once telling Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige he only gets “one Marvel buck to spend” and wanted to make it count. That same calculus now applies to producing.
Beyond acting, Abdul-Mateen has built infrastructure for this mission. He launched his own production company, House Eleven10, named after his childhood home in Oakland, and secured a partnership with Netflix. Through this deal, he produces and stars in projects that amplify underrepresented voices.
“Every time I’m on set, I’m looking at how things are being done. I’m trying to understand where the money is coming from,” he explains. That knowledge, he believes, is the key to unlocking greenlit diverse projects at scale .
The approach is already working. Wonder Man, which dropped its first season to a 91 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, has been renewed for Season 2 . Abdul-Mateen credits the show’s unusual, character-driven tone for its success—proof that diverse stories don’t need to follow predictable formulas.
He wants to replicate that success for other Black creators. By studying financing models, he can build sustainable pathways rather than relying on one-off goodwill from studios.
With House Eleven10 actively developing projects, Abdul-Mateen is shifting from talent to power broker. The actor who played Black Manta, Doctor Manhattan, and now Wonder Man says his most important role might still be ahead: the one where he controls the money, not just the camera.
