All ArticlesDevelopmentCANAL+ Adds Adichie's "Americanah" to African Project PipelineCANAL+ has added Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's "Americanah" to its African development slate, reviving a project whose earlier HBO Max adaptation fell apart in 2020.
TwitterLinkedInEmailCANAL+ added Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's "Americanah" among its current African story projects in development, after an earlier HBO Max adaptation fell apart in 2020.
"Americanah's" screen adaptation has been in public development for more than a decade. In 2014, Lupita Nyong'o was attached to star and produce a film adaptation of the novel. The project later moved to television. In 2019, HBO Max ordered a 10-episode limited series, with Nyong'o still attached and Danai Gurira on board as writer and showrunner.
That version did not go ahead. In 2020, the series was dropped after pandemic-era production delays created scheduling conflicts and Nyong'o exited the project.
CANAL+ has not said whether its "Americanah" is connected to the earlier version or an entirely new adaptation. Format, cast, writer, director, production partners, production timetable, and release plan will be announced at a later date.
Adichie's novel, published in 2013, follows Ifemelu and Obinze, two Nigerians whose lives move between Nigeria, the United States, and the United Kingdom, telling a story of migration, race, class, separation, and return.
"Americanah" appears in CANAL+ Group's 2025 full-year results and strategic update as part of its "Creating African Stories With Global Resonance" banner. The same development slate includes the Women Warriors of Dahomey project "Agoodjie," "The Heist of Benin" (Ava DuVernay and David Oyelowo attached), and a musical tied to Paul Simon's "Graceland" album, "The Road Home."
Source: africanfilmpress.com