Beaded Waist

Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dominic Cooper & Thandie Newton To Star In Adaptation Of Bestseller 'Half Of A Yellow Sun'

excentricyoruba:

comingonstrong:

mycitylight:

It’s not been documented much abroad, but Nigeria has one of the most vibrant, active film scenes in the world; over the last couple of decades, it’s overtaken the United States to become the nation that produces the second largest quantities of film per year, behind only India. And while the films and stars of “Nollywood,” as it’s nicknamed, haven’t yet crossed over to the Western mainstream, it’s surely only a matter of time before their influence becomes felt. And now, it’s been announced that Nigerian backers are teaming with British producers for a star-laden adaptation of a novel that tells a key part of the nation’s history.

Screen Daily reports that producers Andrea Calderwood (“The Last King of Scotland,” “Generation Kill”) and Gail Egan (“Happy-Go-Lucky,” “The Constant Gardener”) have fully financed, thanks to help from both Nigerian private equity and the British Film Instute, their adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s bestselling novel “Half of a Yellow Sun.” The novel, which won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2007, is set during the Nigerian-Biafran War of 1967-1970, when the south of Nigeria attempted to secede and form their own country, the Republic of Biafra, and tracks a revolutionary university professor, his lover, her sister, a British ex-pat, and their houseboy, who are cought up in the conflict across the 1960s.

Nigerian playwright Biyi Bandele, who’s had a number of successes on the London stage, including his adaptation of seminal post-colonial novel “Things Fall Apart,” is making his directorial debut with the project, and he’s assembled quite an impressive cast, with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dominic Cooper and Thandie Newton all locked into the film. The trade don’t have a firm word on who each is playing, but our guess is that Ejiofor will play university professor Odenigbo, Newton his lover, Olanna, and Cooper will play Richard, a British ex-pat in Nigeria to study. 

It’s a pretty terrific cast, not least a rare lead role for Ejiofor, one of our favorite working actors, while the presence of Cooper hot off “The Devil’s Double” and “Captain America: The First Avenger” will undoubtedly help the film internationally. Filming starts in March, before Ejiofor segues to Steve McQueen’s “Twelve Years A Slave,” so we’re unlikely to see this before 2013, but it certainly seems to be a film to keep an eye on.

Things I don’t like about this.

“Last King of Scotland” (urggh)

“The Constanpt Gardener” (bleh)

“Thandie Newton” (really though??!)

“Dominic Cooper” (really?)

All of this!

Why is Thandie Newton playing Olanna?

I wish they would stop casting Sophie and Thandie in every African movie, their accents are so wack. Give Genevieve Nnaji or another nollywood actress a chance and I hope they don’t try.and make Richard the central character.

1. upfromsumdirt liked this
2. mylittleinsomniacheart reblogged this from guerrillamamamedicine and added:

   ”…producers Andrea Calderwood (‘The Last King of Scotland,’…” -__- This is not good.

3. thealphagirl reblogged this from excentricyoruba and added:

   ^yup. Thandie Newton tho….definitely NOT the right person. this is so annoying. It’s one of my fave books too, and vom...

4. sensitiveaboutmyshit liked this
5. isopycnic reblogged this from iamingrid
6. iamingrid reblogged this from crossedwires
7. sugabelly liked this
8. blackpeopleandmadonna reblogged this from yagazieemezi and added:

   Guess I’m going to have to read this book sooner rather than later

9. thescreaming reblogged this from childiswealth and added:

   I pretty much agree with everything that’s been said here, except I loved The Constant Gardener.

10. rosaflora liked this
11. fifine-adore reblogged this from shesthedifferencemaker and added:

    Yaya Dacosta is better for the role, Nicole Beharie (her father is Nigerian) or Nollywood actress Genevieve Nnaji.

12. inlovingshadesforall liked this
13. shesthedifferencemaker reblogged this from realityisfarfromideal and added:

    They want us to buy Thandie Newton as a Nigerian Igbo woman?!?!? I wish Chimamanda Ngozi had more say in this. Casting...

14. realityisfarfromideal reblogged this from blue-grace and added:

    Great cast, except for Cooper, he is not Richard. Benedict Cumberbatch is Richard

15. allthingsarttandbeautiful liked this
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17. miide reblogged this from ciaobella38
18. excentricyoruba reblogged this from comingonstrong and added:

    Yes, any Western-made African film must have a white saviour because we can’t help/save ourselves. It’s amazing how they...

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27. jalylah reblogged this from jonubian and added:

    who is thandie fin to play? o_O

28. ancientcontemporaries reblogged this from yagazieemezi
29. naijamany reblogged this from crystalazuike and added:

    This just totally ruined my day! Seriously. Don’t script-writers ever read the novels before filimg movies?? How on...

30. fivelettered reblogged this from yagazieemezi
31. jaysperspectives reblogged this from yagazieemezi
32. babyboygreen reblogged this from childiswealth and added:

    This is one of my favorite novels and authors, so I will hurt someone if they mess this up. Seriously. comingonstrong:

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42. yagazieemezi reblogged this from comingonstrong and added:

    casting apart from Ejiofor. I’m not looking forward to this.

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46. comingonstrong reblogged this from excentricyoruba and added:

    That’s exactly what I was thinking. I’m just wondering what role Adichie played in all of this. I get so tired of...

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