If you frequent Twitter, you likely remember this photo of Rihanna and actress Lupita Nyong’o making the rounds last month after it served as one user’s inspiration behind a make-believe movie. However, it’s unlikely that you (or anyone else) ever imagined it would actually come to fruition. And yet, that’s exactly what Entertainment Weekly has confirmed with a new report that Netflix has now acquired the rights to the internet-conceived idea.
Here’s how it all began.
On April 18, one Twitter user shared a picture of the two celebrities sitting in the front row of a 2014 Miu Miu fashion show in Paris, saying it was one “for the history books.” Soon after, another woman followed up with her brainstormed idea of a film in which the two women star as a scamming duo.
Surprisingly, the amount of social support the idea gained was enough to attract the attention of the stars themselves. Lupita first agreed on the condition that Rihanna join too, and then the singer confirmed her willingness to commit also.
Eventually, another Twitter user asked Issa Rae, the creator/co-writer/star of Insecure, to join the imagined ensemble. Rae responded with an affirmative GIF of her own.
Finally, a fourth fan made the request that director/writer Ava Duvernay (of Selma, 13th, and “Queen Sugar” fame) join the fold. And she agreed, writing, “Lights set. Camera’s up. Ready to call action for these #queens.”
Now, EW has reported that the once-hypothetical idea is on track to becoming the real deal. According to the site, Netflix purchased the rights to the project after a bidding war at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
And, as predicted (or pushed for) by Twitter, Rae will write and Duvernay will direct.
Additionally, the creators will be sure not to forget where and whom the idea came from. According to Vanity Fair, Rae’s team has confirmed that the “original Twitter users who imagined the concept for this film will be credited and included in some form.”
Duvernay confirmed the report as well yesterday, by sharing a link to the news coupled with the caption: “We deserve nice things.”