Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun Gets the Star Treatment

Calabar, a no frills coastal town in the southeastern part of Nigeria will be the setting for the filming of Half of a Yellow Sun, an epic love story based on the novel by Nigerian authoress Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, starring quite an impressive roster of players.

Including British staples Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton, and Joseph Mawle. Conveniently all three are of African descent which should add a healthy slice of authenticity to the characters they will embody.

But there is also a good dose of locally grown fresh faces and veterans, who are more than ready to hold their own; John Boyega, who made quite a splash in the movie Attack the Block , Nollywood It Girl Genevieve Nnaji, iconic pop star and actress Onyeka Onwenu, and legendary actor Zack Orji. Actress Anika Noni Rose who was last seen in HBO’s now defunct The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency also joins the cast playing a pivotal role opposite Newton.

The film adaptation is courtesy of another well respected scribe; playwright and novelist Biyi Bandele, who until now made the theater his home. It will be produced by British based filmmakers Andrea Calderwood and Gail Egan.

The film will no doubt play up the antics of a sweeping love story intertwined with threads of glamour, wealth and tragedy. Both Newton and Rose play twins raised in an upper-class Nigerian family who after receiving a prestigious English education return to their country and find an independent Nigeria struggling with tribal tensions that eventually heightens and leads to a civil war. These climatic series of events drastically alter the lives of Olanna (Newton) and Kainene (Rose) and the other characters that pepper this richly defined tale.

Nigerian songwriter Cobhams Asuquo will partner with singer-songwriter Keziah Jones to provide original content to boost the soundtrack.

Looks like the stars are perfectly aligned for what will hopefully prove to be a profitable labor of love!