Oscar winnerLupita Nyong’ohas been forced to drop out of the HBO Max seriesAmericanahdue to a scheduling issue stemming from the pandemic, and as a result, the project won’t be moving forward at the streaming service, Collider has confirmed.
Nyong’o had teamed with herBlack Pantherco-starDanai Guriraon the adaptation ofChimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s acclaimed novel, which had been ordered straight-to-series and slated to start shooting earlier this year. WhenAmericanah’s production dates got pushed back, Nyong’o was forced to drop out due to other commitments. It would’ve been her first role in an American TV series.
Rather than try and find a new lead, HBO Max scrapped the entire project, which doesn’t make a ton of sense to me – unless Nyong’o was simply the only reason the streamer was involved in the first place. But you have to think that if HBO Max truly cared about this story, it’d find a way to move forward with a different actress. It’s a curious decision, to say the least.
I can’t imagine how Gurira feels about this news, as the Tony-nominated playwright was set to serve as writer and showrunner on the 10-episode series in addition to executive producing alongside Nyong’o, who would’ve starred alongsideUzo Aduba,Corey Hawkins,Zackary MomohandTireni Oyenusi.
There’s no question thatAmericanahwas a longtime passion project for Nyong’o, who initially tried to turn it into a movie in which she would’ve starred oppositeDavid Oyelowo. In 2018, Nyong’o announced that the book would be adapted as a series, and now, due to the pandemic, the project is sadly dead, as is Oyelowo’s Showtime seriesThe President Is Missing, based on the bestselling book byJames PattersonandBill Clinton. They are hardly the only shows affected, as Netflix alsopulled the plugonGLOW.
Americanahwould have followed Ifemelu (Nyong’o), a young, beautiful, self-assured woman raised in Nigeria, who as a teenager falls in love with her classmate Obinze (Momoh). Living in a military-ruled country, they each depart for the west, with Ifemelu heading for America, where, despite her academic success, she is forced to grapple for the first time with what it means to be black. Quiet, thoughtful Obinze had hoped to join her, but with post-9/11 America closed to him, he instead plunges into a dangerous undocumented life in London.
I’d love to know what project presented Nyong’o with a scheduling issue, as she really doesn’t have much on her plate (that I’m aware of) besides a heist movie with Rihanna that will probably never get made. In fact, its director,Ava DuVernay,just signed on to direct another moviefor Netflix titledCaste. It would certainly be ironic if Lupita’s press responsibilities forThe 355prevented her from doing another empowering project inAmericanah. I just think it’s a shame that her exit led to HBO Max scrapping the entire project, but I suppose she can only be in one place at a time, since this isn’tUswe’re talking about.
Varietybroke the news, and you canclick hereto watch the first trailer forThe 355, which pairs Nyong’o withJessica Chastain,Penelope CruzandDiane Kruger.
