Corey Hawkins Joins AMERICANAH, Starring Lupita Nyong'o, Uzo Aduba

Variety reports that Tony nominee Corey Hawkins has joined the cast of Danai Gurira's "Americanah" on HBO Max.

Lupita Nyong'o, Zackary Momoh, and Uzo Aduba make up the rest of the cast of the series, which is based on Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novel.

"Americanah" tells the story of Ifemelu (Nyong'o), a young, beautiful, self-assured woman raised in Nigeria, who as a teenager falls in love with her classmate Obinze (Momoh). Living in a military-ruled country, they each depart for the west. Ifemelu heads for America, where she finds academic success, but is forced to grapple for the first time with what it means to be black. Quiet, thoughtful Obinze had hoped to join her, but with post-9/11 America closed to him, he instead plunges into a dangerous undocumented life in London.

Hawkins plays Blaine, Ifemelu's present-day boyfriend and Yale Professor, who is madly in love with her. Deeply passionate about social injustices, he tutors at risk youth and organizes protests for a wrongly accused black Yale security guard.

Hawkins will star in the "In the Heights" film. Other film roles include "Straight Outta Compton," "BlacKkKlansman," and "Kong: Skull Island." He has appeared on Broadway in Six Degrees of Separation for which he received a Tony Award nomination, as well as Romeo and Juliet. He has also performed on stages for Roundabout Theatre Company and Signature Theatre.

Read the original story on Variety.