Singer-actor Janelle Monáe will portray the role of Tanya Smith in the film adaptation of Smith’s heist memoir, “Never Saw Me Coming: How I Outsmarted the FBI and the Entire Banking System — and Pocketed $40 Million.”
Universal Pictures has acquired the rights to the memoir, which Monáe will also produce through her company, Wondaland Pictures. Smith, a notorious con artist, will be the executive producer.
The film follows the story of con-artist Smith who hatches a clever white-collar scheme that manipulates the U.S. banking system out of millions.
"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," according to a synopsis from the producers," as per a news outlet.
For her financial wrongdoing, as detailed in her memoir, Smith has completed a harsh prison sentence for her financial wrongdoing as per her memoir. But, now she is an advocate for prison reform, racial justice and economic equality, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
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Monáe was part of Moonlight, Hidden Figures, Antebellum, Harriet, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and the Amazon series Homecoming. The Grammy-nominated singer/rapper, songwriter, arranger and producer has album credits like The ArchAndroid (2010), The Electric Lady (2013), Dirty Computer (2018) and The Age of Pleasure (2023).
Janelle Monáe has received ten Grammy Award nominations and is the recipient of a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Children's and Family Emmy Award. Monáe has also been honoured with the ASCAP Vanguard Award, as well as the Rising Star Award (2015) and the Trailblazer of the Year Award (2018) from Billboard Women in Music.
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