Hot off the press: Half of a Yellow Sun starts filming

Chiwetel Ejiofor and Thandie Newton

I cannot tell you how terribly pleased I am to discover that I have eyes and ears inside the film crew of Half of a Yellow Sun. So, I will try to bring you all the juicy details as fast as I can over the next few weeks and months.

It is Day 2 of filming in Calabar (Day 1 being Friday) where they are ‘shooting all the post-1967 scenes’. My source does not yet know whether any filming will be done in Nsukka where the book is set.

However all the main stars have arrived: Chiwetel Ejiofor as Odenigbo, Thandie Newton as Olanna, Anika Noni Rose as Kainene and John Boyega as Ugwu. How terribly exciting. (Yes, I am excited. Sue me.)

Anika Noni Rose

John Boyega

Half of a Yellow Sun film, sex with Chiwetel and how you solve a problem like Thandie.

Ndi Igbo worldwide are up in arms.

The Half of a Yellow Sun book by nwa ada Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie has been optioned for a Hollywood film starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as ‘Odenigbo’, Thandie Newton as ‘Olanna’ and Dominic Cooper as ‘Richard’. Now, this is good news. How many Nigerian books have made it into Hollywood after all?

But are Igbo people happy? Like heck.