Lupita Nyong'o has inked a deal to star in a movie based on Trevor Noah's hit memoir.
Nyong'o will play the Daily Show host's mother, Patricia Noah, Deadlinereported Wednesday. Born a Crime, based on Noah's book of the same name, will be produced by Noah's own Ark Angel Productions and Nyong'o, among others. A release window has not been announced.
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood was published in 2016, one year after Noah took over Daily Show duties from Jon Stewart. The book became a hit, both critically and commercially, and has been described by its author as a revelatory writing experience. "I thought that I was the hero of my story, [but] in writing it I came to realize over time that my mom was the hero," Noah toldNPR shortly after the book's release. "I was lucky enough to be in the shadow of a giant."
Nyong'o currently stars as Nakia in Ryan Coogler's really greatBlack Panther alongside Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, and Danai Gurira. "It is intense," she toldCollider of the role's physical requirements. "I mean, I had dreams of being in an action film and stuff. I didn't realize that it was going to change my diet! And require me to wake up at insane hours. This week alone, I woke up to work out at 3 in the morning, which is ridiculous. So it does take a lot of physical endurance and a commitment to your body, like nothing else. But it's been so much fun to challenge my body in this new way."
