Lupita Nyong'o to reunite with Brad Pitt for new film

06 Jun 2014

Lupita Nyong'oisn't happy with just being an Oscar-winning actress and fashion icon , as she is now dipping her toes into production - and has her 12 Years A Slave co-star Brad Pitt along to help.

Lupita optioned the rights to award-winning novel Americanah, a tale of lovelorn Nigerian immigrants, and Brad, who was also a producer on 12 Years A Slave, has offered to help produce the film under his Plan B Entertainment production company.

Published in 2013 to rave reviews, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's debut novel spans three continents and follows the love story of Ifemelu and Obinze, who are separated after falling in love. Determined to leave their nation which has fallen under a military dictatorship, Ifemelu secures a place at an American university. In the aftermath of 9/11 though, Obinze is unable to obtain a visa and instead becomes an undocumented immigrant in London.

Speaking of her new role, Lupita said: "It is such an honour to have the opportunity to bring Ms Adichie's brilliant book to the screen."LUPITA NYONG'O'S BEST STYLE MOMENTS

"Page after page, I was struck by Ifemelu and Obinze's stories, whose experiences as African immigrants are so specific and also so imminently relatable. It is a thrilling challenge to tell a truly international story so full of love, humour and heart", she added.

The actress was first linked to the film in March, and Chimamanda said of Lupita: "Lupita was a very early fan of Americanah. And so before she was sort of well-known in the way that she is now, she wrote me … the loveliest email, a very long and passionate email about Americanah."

It's been an incredible year for the31-year-old actress, and on Monday it got even bigger when Lupita was confirmed to have a role in the hotly anticipated Star Wars sequel.

Founded by Brad Pitt and his ex-wife Jennifer Aniston in 2002, Plan B Entertainment has helped to produce some of the last decade's biggest films, including 12 Years A Slave, The Departed, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert For, and Moneyball.