It’s been called “The Greatest Stripper Saga Ever Tweeted”—so great, in fact, that the epic 2015 Twitter thread spun by Aziah “Zola” Wells is headed to the silver screen. Now, filmmakers have announced they’ve finally found a lead for the film—up-and-coming actress Taylour Paige.
Paige has previously appeared on the HBO series Ballers, Grey’s Anatomy, and most recently, Matthew McConaughey’s White Boy Rick.
Janicza Bravo, who will be directing the film, described the moment she first spotted Paige to the Hollywood Reporter:
“I’m at a coffee shop in L.A. and in walks this girl. I’m entranced and can’t stop staring. It’s the way she sits in her body. It’s agency. It’s self-possession … everything that drew me to telling this story,” says Bravo. “One year later she auditions, and I knew instantly — like, I knew it then: After seeing 700 girls, the one meant to be finally walked in.”
Bravo has previously directed episodes of Atlanta and Dear White People, and made her feature film debut last year at Sundance with the indie comedy, Lemon, starring Michael Cera and Nia Long, THR reports.
Wells’ life, and a Rolling Stone article about her 148-count Twitter yarn, which chronicles a wild 48-hour road-trip-turned-comic caper in Florida, will serve as the basis for the movie. And if it’s anything like Wells’ epic tale, this film will have everything: exotic dancers, a Nigerian pimp, a murdered hustler, and lots of hilarious one-liners.
Production is slated to begin on the film this fall.