Memes have done it again, fellas! Rihanna and Lupita Nyong’o are set to star in a movie directed by Ava DuVernay and written by Issa Rae, all thanks to a viral tweet.
A photo of the stars sitting in the front row at a Miu Miu fashion show in 2014 inspired the idea. Shortly after it was taken, Tumblr user Elizabitchtaylor suggested that the photo looked like “they’re in a heist movie with Rihanna as the tough-as-nails leader/master thief and Lupita as the genius computer hacker.” Last month, the idea migrated to Twitter, this time with a more detailed concept by @1800SADGAL.
The meme became viral and got nearly 100k RTs before reaching Nyong’o, who said she was down only if Rihanna accepted the deal – which of course, she did, saying “I’m in Pit’z”. She used a nickname, so this is definitely serious.
If you think it’s just a joke, get ready, because things didn’t stop there. Writer Mikelle Street joined the Twitter conversation to ask Ava DuVernay – ‘Selma’ director – to do her thing. Her answer? She’s totally in.
So once the stars and the director were set, there was only one more thing to cover: the screenplay. Another Twitter user asked ‘Insecure’ writer Issa Rae to join this dream team. She accepted the petition with a properly used GIF.
Thank you, Twitter! That’s what I call team work!
After some discussions, Netflix landed the project
Let me insist: this is happening. Sources say that “a dramatic negotiation session” took place at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday, and Netflix has decided to produce the project, beating out multiple other suitors that were interested in the idea – including Codeblack Films, from Lionsgate, who tweeted they wanted in on the project.
The streaming service is yet to comment on the subject.
It’s still unclear how attached Rae will be to the Twitter-born idea, which envisions Rihanna as a woman who fools white rich men with her charms, while her brilliant hacker best friend, played by Nyong’o helps her orchestrate the heists.
Vanity reached reps for Rae, who said that “the original Twitter users who imagined the concept for this film will be credited and included in some form.”
Sources also said that Rae is already working on the script, while the studio is seeking to start the production in 2018 after Duvernay completes her current film – Disney’s ‘Wrinkle in Time.’