Lupita Nyong’o to Reteam with Brad Pitt for ‘Americanah’

Lupita Nyong’o is set to reteam with her 12 Years A Slave co-star and producer Brad Pitt on a big screen adaptation of the critically-acclaimed romance novel Americanah.

Pitt has acquired the film rights to bestselling author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s book, which centers upon a love story between two young Nigerian immigrants, for his Plan B production company and he has recruited Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner Nyong’o to produce and star.

A statement released by Nyong’o reads: “It is such an honor to have the opportunity to bring Ms. Adichie’s brilliant book to the screen. Page after page, I was struck by (lead characters) Ifemelu and Obinze’s stories, whose experiences as African immigrants are so specific and also so imminently relatable. It is a thrilling challenge to tell a truly international story so full of love, humor and heart.”

Adichie won the 2013 Nation Book Critics Circle Award for Americanah, which was also named among the top 10 books of the year by the BBC, Newsday and The New York Times Book Review.

Nyong’o’s career has exploded since she made her feature debut in Steve McQueen’s slave drama, which also featured Pitt – she will appear in Jon Favreau’s forthcoming live-action take on The Jungle Book and on Monday, it was announced that she had been added to the cast of Star Wars: Episode VII.

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