This is not a drill: Rihanna and Lupita Nyong’o are starring in a buddy movie together. “Insecure” co-creator Issa Rae is writing the script. “Selma” helmer Ava DuVernay is directing. If this project sounds like the stuff of dreams, it’s because it is. The as-yet untitled film has unconventional origins. A Twitter user posted a photo of Rihanna and Nyong’o sitting together at a fashion show and suggested plot for a movie starring the pair, and the post went viral. Other users chipped in ideas, and eventually a dream team — including DuVernay and Rae — was assembled. And now that dream team has signed on to make the film a reality. Entertainment Weekly broke the news.
When the meme generated so much attention, each individual woman confirmed that she’d like to be involved via social media. But it all seemed too good to be true. Now EW is reporting that “after a dramatic negotiation session at the Cannes Film Festival,” Netflix nabbed the rights to the project. This movie is being made — and you’ll be able to watch it in the comfort of your living room while wearing pajamas.
It was reportedly a “very aggressive bid” that won the streaming service the project. With a cast and crew this good — and the fact that this is literal fan fiction come true, which means there’s a built-in audience — Netflix’s confidence about the project makes sense. The movie is guaranteed to generate lots of buzz.
Rae is said to be working on the script now. Production is expected to kick off at the beginning of 2018. No word on how true the script will be to the viral meme. “Rihanna looks like she scams rich white men and Lupita is the computer smart best friend that helps plan the scans [sic],” the original tweet read. Rae’s reps assured Vanity Fair that the Twitter users “who imagined the concept for this film will be credited and included in some form.”
Rihanna recently appeared in “Psycho” prequel “Bates Motel.” She played Marion Crane. She’s part of the ensemble cast for the highly anticipated all-female “Ocean’s Eight,” currently in post-production. Her co-stars on the project include Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway, and Mindy Kaling.
N’yongo won an Oscar in 2014 for “12 Years a Slave.” She was last seen in Mira Nair’s chess underdog story “Queen of Katwe” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Her upcoming projects include “Black Panther” and more “Star Wars” movies.
DuVernay, who recently worked with Netflix for the Oscar-nominated doc “13th,” is currently in post-production on Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time.” Based on Madeleine L’Engle’s beloved 1963 novel, the fantasy film hits theaters March 9, 2018.
The sophomore season of Rae’s “Insecure” will premiere on HBO July 23.
