Nia DaCosta has been tapped by MGM to direct the upcoming adaptation of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ novel, The Water Dancer.
The movie will be produced by Maceo-Lyn and Plan B, alongside Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Coates’ New York Times bestseller was the first book to be featured in Oprah’s Book Club, a partnership with Apple.
The Water Dancer is based on the novel of the same name, and tells the story of Hiram Walker, who was born into slavery during the years preceding the Civil War. He has photographic memory, but loses the memory of his mother after she was sold away.
“Now a young man, Hiram almost drowns when he crashes a carriage into a river, but is saved from the depths by a mysterious power he never realized he had and struggles to understand,” the book’s description reads.
Last year, the award-winning DaCosta collaborated with MGM on Candyman and she is currently in post-production for The Marvels, starring Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris and Iman Vellani. The film is slated for release in February of 2023.
Per Variety, The Water Dancer is the second project between Coates and Plan B. The two entities are also working on the film Wrong Answer based on Rachel Aviv’s New Yorker editorial, which will star Michael B. Jordan, and is directed by Ryan Coogler.