A beloved book Wild Seed will be adopted into a TV show after the involvement of Kenyan filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu as a writer and director of the project.
The movie adaptation of the book is run by American-based independent film company JuVee productions which revealed the pivotal role Kahiu played in the process.
Reports by Deadline.com indicate that the Rafiki movie helmer was tapped to create a TV idea for the book together with author Nnedi Okorafor.
The duo developed a pilot and the productions company run by American actress Viola Davis and spouse Julius Tennon pitched it to the film market.
"JuVee had pursued the rights to the book for over two years, but it wasn’t until they identified rising talent Kahiu, who was tapped to direct as well as write the pilot with her friend and colleague Okorafor, that the vision became clear on how to turn the beloved book into a TV show," the publication reported.
Wild Seed is a science fiction novel by American writer Octavia Butler about two immortal Africans named Doro and Anyanwu.
Both Kahiu and Okorafor described the book as a voice of women of colour attributing aspects of their career paths to it.
“We love Octavia Butler and her work and have for decades. But Wild Seed is our favorite. It’s expansive, disturbing, and unique. Wild Seed stays with you. It’s a love/hate story of African immortals that connects people on the African continent to the Diaspora. It merges the mystical and the scientific seamlessly.
"You’re going to see shape-shifting, body jumping, telepaths, people born with the ability to defy the laws of physics, all in the context of our past, present and future world," Kahiu and Okorafor stated.
Viola, popularly known for her role as Professor Annalise Keating in the critically acclaimed show, How to Get Away With Murder, also hailed the book as one that changed her life.
“It is as epic, as game-changing, as moving and brilliant as any science fiction novel ever written. Julius and I are proud to have this masterpiece in our hands. It fullfills our promise and legacy to be disrupters. Octavia Butler was a visionary and we look forward to honoring the scope of her work and sharing it with the world," she was quoted by Deadline.com.
The TV show will be available on Streaming service Amazon Video Prime.
