--- description: Rihanna and Lupita Nyong'o will star in a Netflix film project directed by Ava DuVernay, while Issa Rae is in talks to write the screenplay. title: Rihanna, Lupita Nyong'o to Star in Ava DuVernay Netflix Film image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt60c11bdb2757c8f5/6988ce600b72e3eb316ede8a/lupita-rihanna-movie-happening.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # It Looks Like the Rihanna and Lupita Nyong'o Film of the Internet's Dreams Is Reportedly Coming to Netflix  by [Cady Lang](/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 22, 2017 9:30 PM CUT  PARIS, FRANCE - MARCH 05: Singer Rihanna and actress Lupita Nyong'o attend the Miu Miu show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2014-2015 on March 5, 2014 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images) PARIS, FRANCE - MARCH 05: Singer Rihanna and actress Lupita Nyong'o attend the Miu Miu show as part of the Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2014-2015 on March 5, 2014 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)Pascal Le Segretain—Getty Images  by [Cady Lang](/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 22, 2017 9:30 PM CUT In what might be one of the Internet’s greatest accomplishments to date, [the Rihanna and Lupita Nyong’o movie of their wildest dreams](http://time.com/4752456/rihanna-lupita-nyongo-movie/ "undefined") may actually become a reality. According to [_Entertainment Weekly_](http://ew.com/movies/2017/05/22/rihanna-lupita-nyongo-ava-duvernay-movie/ "undefined"), a source reports that [Grammy winner Rihanna](http://time.com/4746220/rihanna-fenty-puma-video/ "undefined") and [Oscar winner Nyong’o](http://time.com/4556483/lupita-nyongo-lip-sync-battle-whatta-man/ "undefined") will star in a [Netflix film project](http://time.com/4694187/netflix-original-shows-streaming-2017/ "undefined") directed by [Ava DuVernay](http://time.com/collection/2017-time-100/4736186/ava-duvernay/ "undefined") that will stream on Netflix; [Issa Rae](http://time.com/collection-post/4574019/american-voices-issa-rae/ "undefined") is currently in talks to write the screenplay. The news follows a series of viral tweets from nearly a month ago that created the concept of a film starring the fabulous duo based on a photo of them sitting front row at a fashion show. The Internet also imagined DuVernay as the director and Issa Rae as the project’s screenwriter; following the popularity of the the meme, all four women expressed interest in making the movie happen. In an earlier interview with TIME at the TIME 100 gala where DuVernay was recognized as a member of the list, [DuVernay discussed the possibility saying](http://time.com/4755421/ava-duvernay-on-rihanna-lupita/ "undefined"), “I really think it shows the power of people wanting to see stories that are women-centered, women of color-centered that are made by women of color,” noting that “anything is possible.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4789437/rihanna-lupita-nyogo-ava-duvernay-netflix-movie/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4789437/rihanna-lupita-nyogo-ava-duvernay-netflix-movie/"},"headline":"It Looks Like the Rihanna and Lupita Nyong'o Film of the Internet's Dreams Is Reportedly Coming to Netflix","datePublished":"2017-05-22T21:30:03.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T05:03:51.202Z","description":"The power of the internet","url":"https://time.com/4789437/rihanna-lupita-nyogo-ava-duvernay-netflix-movie/","keywords":["movies","Rihanna","Newsfeed","ava duvernay"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt60c11bdb2757c8f5/6988ce600b72e3eb316ede8a/lupita-rihanna-movie-happening.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cady Lang","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cady-lang/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt60c11bdb2757c8f5/6988ce600b72e3eb316ede8a/lupita-rihanna-movie-happening.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Miu Miu : Front Row - Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2014-2015","caption":"Miu Miu : Front Row - Paris Fashion Week Womenswear Fall/Winter 2014-2015","creditText":"Pascal Le Segretain—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/movies/","name":"movies"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4789437/rihanna-lupita-nyogo-ava-duvernay-netflix-movie/","name":"It Looks Like the Rihanna and Lupita Nyong'o Film of the Internet's Dreams Is Reportedly Coming to Netflix"}}]}] ```