Last year, we brought you the news of this Cameroonian writer who snagged a million dollar book deal with Random House. [Read HERE if you missed it.]
The Longings of Jende Jonga by Imbolo Mbue—set for an April 2016 release—is an immigrant tale set in Brooklyn. The novel explores the 2008 financial crisis from the point of view of a Cameroonian chauffer working for a Lehman Brothers executive.
Another piece of good news has just reached us. According to Hollyood Reporters, the manuscript has been optioned for film by Tristar, a division of Sony Pictures.
Get this, the novel is not even published, and it’s already snagged a movie deal.
This is wonderful news for a few reasons. First, as far as being a successful African writer goes, Mbue continues to slay. We are truly happy for her.
The fact that her novel joins an increasing number of African novels making the journey to the big screen is also something worth celebrating.
In the last one year alone, we’ve seen Adichie’s Americanah, Khaled’s Utopia, and Iweala’s Beast of No Nation added to the list of African novels optioned for film. [Read HERE, HERE, and HERE ].We hope that African novels continue to attract movie makers and investors.
Ella habla de la necesidad de “redefinirlo”… | ONG AFRICANDO SOLIDARIDAD CON AFRICA May 14, 2017 05:53
[…] Lo que casi todos desconocemos sobre esta novela es que ya en 2014, tal y como nos informaba Wiriko, la editorial Random House había comprado en la Feria de Frankfurt el manuscrito, bajo otro título en aquel entonces (The Longings of Jende Jonga) que mutó por el más comercial actual, por una cifra altísima (un millón de dólares) y que en 2015, los derechos de la película también se habían vendido. […]