Rihanna cannes 2017
Rihanna at Cannes Film Festival 2017Reuters

Cannes 2017 has been a rollercoaster journey for Netflix with all sorts of news making headlines for the online streaming giant. While the screening of Netflix Original Okja was disrupted due to technical difficulties and backlash, Netflix Original presentation The Meyerowitz Stories received a standing ovation from audience.

Also Read: Adam Sandler in Meyerowitz Stories best performance of Cannes 2017? Film gets 4-minute standing ovation

Cannes film festival has turned for good for the Netflix team after they won a bid for the rights to a Rihanna – Lupita Nyong'o starrer. The film will be directed and written by Ava DuVernay, Entertainment Weekly reports.

Netflix bagged the project in a very aggressive bid, beating out multiple other suitors. Netflix had no comment, EW wrote.

Born out of an internet meme featuring Rihanna and Lupita Nyong'o in the front row of a Miu Miu fashion show that went viral in April this year, the film will retain the two stars to spin a story around the concept of the meme.

Lupita Nyong'o
Lupita Nyong'o at Oscars 2015Reuters

It all began when a photo of the two beautiful women was posted online and a twitter user shared a one liner expressing: "Rihanna looks like she scams rich white men and Lupita is the computer smart best friend that helps plan the scans."

Pegging on the one liner, DuVernay will spin the yarn around the popular tweet. The Selma director was brought on board on popular demand. Netizens requested that she'd be signed for the direction while Insecure's Issa Rae to be roped in for the screenplay.

After the requests were made, the four women decided to collaborate and bring the fiction project alive.

Sources of EW share that Rae has already begun working on the script. The studio is looking at a production start of 2018 after DuVernay completes her current film, Wrinkle in Time.

While it remains to be seen if the makers will stay true to the one-liner, it has been confirmed that the Twitter user, who posted the one liner, will be credited in the movie.

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