Rihanna and Lupita Nyong'o to star in Netflix film created by the internet
The pair are starring in a buddy movie for the streaming giant, directed by Ava DuVernay and penned by Issa Rae
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The film conceived entirely by the will of the internet, a buddy caper starring Rihanna and Lupita Nyong'o, penned by Insecure's Issa Rae, and directed by Ava DuVernay has actually become a reality, with Netflix picking up the film at this year's Cannes Film Festival.
According to Entertainment Weekly's sources, the streaming giant didn't land the deal without some fierce competition, reportedly putting in an aggressive bid for the project; why wouldn't you, when it's a film created entirely by the fanbase eager to watch it.
The idea all seems to trace back to a Tumblr post featuring a shot of Rihanna and Lupita Nyong'o in the front row of a Miu Miu fashion show in 2014, with the caption: "They look like they’re in a heist movie with Rihanna as the tough-as-nails leader/master thief and Lupita as the genius computer hacker".
It went viral on the platform, while a coincidental post got even larger traction on Twitter when users starting specifically getting the attention of the two stars, as well as DuVernay and Rae, who all agreed they'd be up for the project.
Twitter even penned an initial pitch for the film, which sees Rihanna playing a con artist who targets rich white men, with Nyong'o playing her co-conspirator and best friend, who helps plan her elaborate cons.
Sources state that Rae is already working on the script, with an eye for the film to start production in 2018. It's unknown how closely the film will take inspiration from the social media buzz, though reps for Rae told Vanity Fair, "the original Twitter users who imagined the concept for this film will be credited and included in some form."
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