The long-awaited adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s breathtaking novel Americanah is shaping up at HBO Max, where it’s slated to air as a 10-episode limited series. Lupita Nyong’o, who optioned the book’s film rights in 2014, will star as main character Ifemelu, following her arc as she moves from her native Nigeria to the United States. And now, Orange Is the New Black’s Uzo Aduba’s been added to the cast.
Per Variety:
Aduba will play Aunty Uju, Ifemelu’s young aunt and confidant. A highly intelligent doctor, Uju left Nigeria under tumultuous circumstances and has resettled in America to build a better life for herself and her son Dike.
Zackary Momoh, who was in Harriet and the Netflix series Seven Seconds, has been cast as Ifemelu’s love interest, Obinze. Black Panther’s Danai Gurira, who also collaborated with N’yongo on the Tony Award-winning play Eclipsed (Gurira wrote it), will serve as showrunner. The series will start airing sometime next year, according to IMDB.