If you were thrilled by Lupita Nyong'o's complicated Black Panther heroine Nakia, you'll be happy to know that she's working on a new project: a film adaptation of Trevor Noah's memoir, the New York Times bestseller Born a Crime.
"When I read @TrevorNoah's 'Born A Crime,' I could not put the book down," wrote Nyong'o on Instagram. "Excited to announce that I will be starring in and producing its feature film adaptation!"
Noah tweeted out the news on Thursday morning:
According to Deadline, Nyong'o will play Noah's mother, Patricia, whom Noah has called "the hero" of the story. Patricia, a Xhosa woman, and Noah's white father Robert, were technically committing a crime when they had Noah in apartheid South Africa, where interracial marriage was against the law. As a result, as a boy, he was hidden indoors for most of his young life, out of fear that the government could remove him from his family. He told NPR, "My grandmother kept me locked in the house when I was staying with the family in Soweto. ... If the police did show up ... it was a constant game of hide-and-seek."
Noah, who hosts The Daily Show, will also be a producer on the project.
