Actress and singer Janelle Monáe is set to both star in and produce Universal Pictures’ adaptation of Tanya Smith’s heist memoir, Never Saw Me Coming: How I Outsmarted the FBI and the Entire Banking System–and Pocketed $40 Million.
Through Wondaland Pictures’ first-look deal with Universal, Monáe will also serve as a producer on the project, which follows a seemingly unassuming woman who devises an ingenious white-collar scheme to manipulate the U.S. banking system and steal millions. Smith will executive produce the adaptation, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
As described in a synopsis from the producers, “When the FBI finally cornered Smith, they refused to believe a black woman could be the architect of sophisticated financial crimes, as they smugly asserted, ‘These are not the kind of crimes black people are smart enough to commit,'” the outlet reported.
Smith, who detailed her financial crimes in her memoir, has already served a harsh prison sentence. She now dedicates her time to advocating for prison reform, racial justice, and economic equality, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
Monáe’s acting credits include Moonlight, Hidden Figures, Antebellum, Harriet, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and the Amazon series Homecoming. As a Grammy-nominated singer, rapper, songwriter, arranger, and producer, she has released albums such as The ArchAndroid (2010), The Electric Lady (2013), Dirty Computer (2018), and The Age of Pleasure (2023).
Over the course of her career, Monáe has earned ten Grammy Award nominations and won a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Children’s and Family Emmy Award. She has also been recognized with the ASCAP Vanguard Award, Billboard Women in Music’s Rising Star Award (2015), and the Trailblazer of the Year Award (2018).
