Kenyan Filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu To Direct Millie Bobby Brown In YA Adaptation, ‘The Thing About Jellyfish’ At Universal

Rafiki director Wanuri Kahiu has grabbed another big gig. She’ll direct Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown in a film adaptation of the YA novel The Thing About Jellyfish at Universal. Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine is producing. The script, by Molly Smith Metzler, made the 2017 Black List.

It is her second Universal project on the books. She’s also set to direct Universal and Working Title’s Covers.

Here’s the description of The Thing About Jellyfish, written by Ali Benjamin: Everyone says that it was an accident… that sometimes things “just happen”. But Suzy won’t believe it. Ever. After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy was a rare jellyfish sting. Retreating into a silent world of imagination, she crafts a plan to prove her theory–even if it means traveling the globe, alone. Suzy’s achingly heartfelt journey explores life, death, the astonishing wonder of the universe…and the potential for love and hope right next door.