The viral story of an Arizona grandma who sent an accidental Thanksgiving dinner invite to a random teen is getting the Hollywood treatment.
Netflix on Friday confirmed to NBC News that it is developing a feature film based on the story of Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench, called "The Thanksgiving Text."
Hinton, the stranger who received the text five years ago, first shared the news in a tweet on Thursday.
"I am very excited to announce our new partnership with Netflix," Hinton tweeted. "We thank every single one of you for your love and support in our journey the last 6 years. We can’t wait to tell our story on the big screen!"
The story began in 2016 when Hinton received a group text from an unknown number, indicating that Thanksgiving dinner would be served at 3 p.m.
“I thought it was either a wrong number or my grandma learned how to use a phone correctly,” Hinton previously told NBC News.
When Hinton asked for a photo and received a selfie in return, the woman, Wanda Dench, of no relation, was unrecognizable.
Hinton jokingly responded: “you not my grandma. Can I still get a plate tho?”
“Of course you can,” she replied. “That’s what grandma’s do ...feed every one.”
Their story quickly went viral on social media — and sparked an unlikely friendship and Thanksgiving tradition that has continued into its sixth year.
Last year was the first Thanksgiving since Dench’s husband, Lonnie, died in April 2020 from complications from COVID-19.
“We are excited to share our story with the world," Dench and Hinton said in a joint statement. "We hope it inspires more people to reach out and make connections that they wouldn’t ordinarily make."
"We are so blessed to find a genuine friendship brought together by God from a mistaken text message,” they added.
The film will be written by Abdul Williams, who penned "Lottery Ticket," "Salt-N-Pepa," "The Bobby Brown Story" and "The New Edition Story." It will be produced by Robert Teitel and George Tillman, Jr. for State Street Pictures, whose slate includes “The Hate U Give."
