James R | On 14, Aug 2020

Daniel Kaluuya is heading to Netflix for his next project, The Upper World.

Adapted from the upcoming debut contemporary sci-fi novel by physicist-turned-author Femi Fadugba, the film follows Esso, a young man in Peckham who can see glimpses of the past and the future.

Kaluuya will take the lead role and also produce the movie, alongside Eric Newman and his Screen Arcade partner Bryan Unkeless, who brought the book to Netflix as part of their first-look deal with the streamer.

“Femi Fadugba. You may not know his name, but once you’ve read The Upper World you won’t be able to forget it. That’s what happened to me after producer Eric Newman introduced me to the book. I can count on one hand the times I’ve connected with a novel so viscerally,” said Tendo Nagenda, VP of Netflix Films.

Fadugba, who will exec-produce the screen adaptation, has a master’s degree from Oxford University where he published in Quantum Physics. He has previously written for the Financial Times.

“With Netflix bringing the film adaptation to audiences around the world, I’m excited about the impact the story can have,” he commented in a statement. “I’d love to one day see teachers putting the book on their summer reading lists. I’d love to help create a world where when people talk about the new Cardi B, Giggs or CS song, they mention the ideas in The Upper World as part of the culture as well.”

The novel will be published in 2021 by Penguin.

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