HBO Max has scored another coup.
The new streaming service — which has yet to launch — is planning to adapt the famous novel Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Released in 2013, the book tells the story of a young Nigerian woman, Ifemelu, who immigrates to the United States to attend university. It is there, for the first time, that she is brought to terms with the color of her skin amidst those of a different race.
Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o will play the part of Ifemelu, while her fellow Black Panther co-star Danai Gurira will write the pilot and serve as the series showrunner.
“Americanah has been a passion project for me since I read Chimamanda’s beautiful novel in 2013,” Nyong’o said. “It’s a tale that is simultaneously timely and timeless. HBO Max is the perfect partner to bring this profound and celebrated story to life, and I’m thrilled that Danai will bring to the project her intelligence, wit, and understanding of the stories and the worlds of Americanah.”
The production has been ordered straight to limited series with 10 episodes scheduled.
