Lupita Nyong’o to Join Trevor Noah’s Biopic ‘Born A Crime’

Black Panther star Lupita Nyong’o has just signed on to star in another African-based film, according to Deadline. She will portray the mother of Trevor Noah in a autobiographical film surrounding the upbringing of the South African host of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.

The movie follows the life of Noah as he grew up in post-apartheid South Africa as the son of a mixed family with the challenge of fitting in.  It will thus be an adaptation of Noah’s bestselling autobiography “Born a Crime: Stories of a Southern African Childhood“.  Noah will of course be producing the film under his own company Ark Productions as well as Norman Aladjem, Derek Van Pelt and Sanaz Yamin of Mainstay Entertainment with Nyong’o.

Nyong’o is most noted for her Academy Award winning performance in 12 Years A Slave as well as playing Nakia in the current blockbuster Black Panther.  She also can be seen in the Australian zombie comedy Little Monsters and the movie version of Chimamanda, which is written by her Black Panther co-star Danai Gurira.

Born A Crime was published through Spiegel & Grau back in 2016 and has won both the James Thurber Prize for American Humor as well as two NAACP Image Awards.