This past weekend, a photo of Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o and musician Rihanna from 2014’s Paris Fashion Week went viral and sparked a brilliant idea sparked by Twitter’s best-and-brightest.
The photo features the Bajan beauty in dark shades and a black wig with bangs sitting next to the Black Panther actress, who is donning a sweater, a collared shirt and thick-rimmed specs. Twitter user @1800SADGAL planted a seed conceptualizing the picture, stating that it looks like it could be a still from a film where Rih “scams rich white men and lupita is the computer smart best friend that helps plan the [scams].” According to Nyong’o’s Instagram page, the unofficial title of the film is Cashing In.
Rihanna looks like she scams rich white men and lupita is the computer smart best friend that helps plan the scans https://t.co/PhWs1xd3nj
— k (@1800SADGAL) April 18, 2017
Twitter was head-over-heels for the idea, and even some Hollywood big wigs were digging the concept. Helen Estabrook, who produced the film Whiplash, said that she would “more than happily produce” the movie. After some prompting, Ava DuVernay said that she was “ready to call action for these #queens” as the film’s director.
.@Lupita_Nyongo @rihanna I will more than happily produce this movie
— helen estabrook (@helenestabrook) April 21, 2017
@MikelleStreet @rihanna Lights set. Camera’s up. Ready to call action for these #queens. 👑 pic.twitter.com/NVgqpFeTnu
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) April 24, 2017
Of course, Rihanna and Nyong’o were down with the idea. Fans seem to want Issa Rae to write the film, and Black-ish‘s Yara Shahidi also tried to get in on the action.
I’m down if you are @rihanna https://t.co/vwHBWeCbFZ
— Lupita Nyong’o (@Lupita_Nyongo) April 21, 2017
I’m in Pit’z https://t.co/Kz0o3lBEmL
— Rihanna (@rihanna) April 23, 2017
@dvrrxll @rihanna pic.twitter.com/XG2WMribGJ
— Issa Rae (@IssaRae) April 23, 2017
Can I please be the protégée that is only a cameo in the first movie, but who’s character comes to fruition in the sequel @Lupita_Nyongo😬https://t.co/TsMFwRgJC7
— Yara shahidi (@YaraShahidi) April 24, 2017
So much Black Girl Magic in this film. Let’s hope something happens.