Lupita Nyong’o & Rihanna to star in Ava DuVernay’s new Twitter-inspired film

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Well, here's something you don't see everyday. Entertainment Weekly reports that after a very dramatic and aggressive negotiation session at the Cannes Film Festival, Netflix has snagged Ava DuVernay's new film which is set to star Rihanna and Lupita Nyong'o. Woo hoo I suppose, but that's not the most interesting part of this story. The project didn't emerge from any particular writer or studio, but actually came to life when a photo of Lupita Nyong'o and Rihanna sitting together at a Miu Miu fashion show in 2014 went viral last month.

Twitter immediately saw the image to be full of potential for a hypothetical movie, with Twitter user 1800SADGAL joking that "Rihanna looks like she scams rich white men and lupita is the computer smart best friend that helps plan the scans." From there, other users began imagining potential story-lines for the film as well as rounding out the behind-the-scenes talent, which included Ava DuVernay (A WRINKLE IN TIME) to direct and Issa Rae (Insecure) to pen the script. Typically, this wouldn't have developed any further, but one-by-one, the talent for this dreamed-up project began to take notice and chime in.

Now, somewhat unfathomably, it appears that this is actually going to happen. Ava DuVernay will reportedly direct the film with Issa Rae writing the script. Members of Rae's team reached out to Vanity Fair and confirmed that the project is indeed in the works and that the "original Twitter users who imagined the concept for this film will be credited and included in some form."

No word on how closely the prospective movie will stick to its Twitter origins, but sources say that production could get underway in 2018 once Ava DuVernay finishes up her next project. There you have it, folks, your random Twitter musings could wind up being the next big film. Are we witnessing the beginnings of a future in which studios simply let legions of fans break stories for free? I kind of hope not, although I am curious to see the results.