Liesl Tommy To Direct Trevor Noah Biopic ‘Born A Crime’ Starring Lupita Nyong’o Posted by Wilson Morales
March 27, 2018
Liesl Tommy is set to direct the film adaptation of The Daily Show host Trevor Noah‘s autobiography, Born a Crime, starring Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o.
Tommy recently helmed the world premiere of JC Lee’s play Relevance at MCC, reunites with Nyong’o after the 2016 acclaimed Off-Broadway and Broadway productions of Eclipsed, which earned Tommy and Nyong’o Tony nominations..
Released in 2016, Noah’s bestselling debut autobiography Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood has spent 26 weeks on the bestseller list and has won the James Thurber Prize for American Humor and two NAACP Image Awards. Spiegel & Grau, the imprint that published Noah’s first novel, has bought his untitled follow-up memoir, which will be published by Random House on November 13.
Nyong’o will play Noah’s mom, Patricia, who served as an important figure to her son in his formative years. She was shot in the head by his stepfather while returning from a church service in 2009, but survived.
Noah is producing the project through his Ark Angel Productions alongside Norman Aladjem of Mainstay Entertainment, Derek Van Pelt, Sanaz Yamin and Nyong’o.
Tommy is a director of the stage and screen. She helmed the recent Off-Broadway productions of Party People at the Public Theater, Greg Pierce and John Kander’s musical Kid Victory, and Deborah Zoe Laufer’s play Informed Consent, among others. On screen, she directed Oprah Winfrey and Ava Duvernay’s OWN TV series Queen Sugar.
