Fresh off her Oscar win for 12 Years a Slave, Lupita Nyong'o has acquired the rights to the best-selling novel Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. You know, the Nigerian author whose TED talk is sampled in Beyonce's "Flawless"?
Americanah is about a Nigerian woman who moves to the United States for school and her complicated relationship with her complicated homeland. It's Adichie's third novel, and it'll be the second to hit the big screen. Nyong'o's 12 Years a Slave costar Chiwetel Ejiofor is currently starring in Half of a Yellow Sun.
"Lupita was a very early fan of Americanah. And so before she was sort of well-known in the way that she is now, she wrote me … the loveliest email, a very long and passionate email about Americanah," Adichie said.
We're assuming this means Nyongo'o will play the book's protagonist, Ifemelu, though that hasn't been confirmed. Fingers crossed!
UPDATE: Lupita has been confirmed to star in the adaptation, in addition to producing it. Rejoice!
[via Stylist UK]
