Theatre director, Liesl Tommy will direct the Trevor Noah film.
Acclaimed actress, Lupita Nyong’o shared on Twitter yesterday, 27 March, that South African born director Liesl Tommy will be heading up the film based on Trevor Noah’s autobiography.
Nyong’o is the films executive producer and will play Noah’s mother.
Nyong’o will produce the film with Noah through his production company, Ark Angel Productions.
Nyong’o previously worked with Liesl Tommy in the Broadway play, Eclipsed. Tommy earned a Tony nomination for her direction of Eclipsed.
Tommy has hinted that the film may be shot in South Africa. She originally hails from Cape Town.
She stated in a post, “When I went home to Cape Town for Christmas in 2016 I gave my dad, my brother, and some uncles this book Born A Crime by Trevor Noah for Christmas presents. Little did I know I would one day be sharing this announcement. To think I’ll be shooting this feature film in South Africa …just no words.”
The book chronicles Trevor Noah’s childhood as a person of mixed race living under the Apartheid regime in South Africa. A large portion of the book pays homage to Noah’s mother. It became a number one New York Times Bestseller and was named one of the best books of the year for 2016 by The New York Times, Newsday, Esquire, NPR, and Booklist.
