Janelle Monáe is trading in her microphone for a ski mask—metaphorically speaking!
The 39-year-old singer, actor, and all-around futuristic fashion icon is set to star in and produce Universal Pictures’ movie adaptation of Tanya Smith’s mind-blowing memoir, Never Saw Me Coming: How I Outsmarted the FBI and the Entire Banking System—and Pocketed $40 Million. That’s right, Janelle is about to play a real-life genius who finessed the financial system so hard, the FBI had to sit down and take a deep breath.
According to the film’s producers, when the feds finally caught up to Tanya, they refused to believe a Black woman could mastermind such a complex scheme. In fact, they reportedly hit her with the classic “These are not the kind of crimes Black people are smart enough to commit” line. Ah yes, because only the Wolf of Wall Street type can get creative with bank accounts? Nice try, FBI.
Of course, Tanya did serve some serious time for her financial wizardry, but instead of fading into the background, she became an advocate for prison reform, racial justice, and economic equality—because if you’re going to be a legend, you might as well use your powers for good.
Janelle won’t just be starring in the film—she’s also producing it. And to make sure they get every detail of this jaw-dropping story right, Tanya herself will also be producing. Translation? Expect a heist movie with brains, style, and just the right amount of “I can’t believe she did that” moments.
No word yet on when the film will hit theaters, but one thing’s for sure: Janelle Monáe is about to rob us all of our free time because we will be watching this.
