Chimamanda Adichie famously preached of the dangers of the single story. Ideally, it’s a bit of a no brainer considering that as human beings are a bit of a heterogenous bunch, it should only be normal for the creative industry to bear this in mind in its creation process. In an era of #OscarsSoWhite and other allied campaigns, it’s interesting to note that Disney has acquired a pitch for Sadé, described as “a live-action fairytale film about an African Princess.”
The pitch is the original idea of Ola Shokunbi and Lindsey Reed Palmer, and the duo have been handed screenplay duties.
Nigerian- American Director, Rick Famuyiwa is attached to produce while the Director is yet to be announced.
Per Deadline, who broke the news: It centers on a young African girl named Sadé who, when her kingdom is threatened by a mysterious evil force, accepts her newly discovered magical warrior powers to protect herself and her people. With the help of the kingdom’s prince, Sadé embarks on an adventure that will allow her to embrace what makes her special and save the kingdom.
This would be the first time an original Disney princess film would be led by a African character. The first black princess was in 2009 with The Princess and the Frog, loosely based on the fable.