Chinonye Chukwu Will Direct the First Two Episodes of HBO Max's Upcoming 'Americanah' Series

Nigerian-American director Chinonye Chukwuis set to helm the first two episodes of the upcoming limited series Americanah, starring Lupita Nyong'o.

Chukwu is the award-winning filmmaker, behind the critically-acclaimed film Clemency, which won the 2019 Sundance Grand Jury Prize, making her the first Black woman to win the award.

The news comes after it was announced earlier this week that actor Corey Hawkins would be joining the star-studded cast as Blaine, Ifemelu (Nyong'o's) present-day boyfriend who is a professor at Yale. The cast also includesZackary Momoh who will play Obinze, andUzo Aduba as Aunty Uju, Ifemelu's "young aunt and confidant."

The series is based on Chimamanda Adichie's seminal novel but the same name. Here's a full description of Americanahvia Deadline:

Americanah tells the epic story of Ifemelu (Nyong'o), a self-assured woman raised in Nigeria, who as a teenager falls in love with her classmate Obinze (Momoh). Living in a military-ruled country, they each depart for the West, with Ifemelu heading for America, where, despite her academic success, she is forced to grapple for the first time with what it means to be black. Quiet, thoughtful Obinze had hoped to join her, but with post-9/11 America closed to him, he instead plunges into a dangerous undocumented life in London.

Actress Danai Gurira wrote the pilot and is the series' show runner.

Chukwu is also slated to direct the upcoming filmA Taste of Power, based on the life of Black Panther leader Elaine Brown.

Americanah will premiere on the upcoming streaming platform HBO Max, which is set to launch this Spring.