A film about the teen boy accidentally invited to Thanksgiving dinner via text message, Jamal Hinton, is reportedly heading to Netflix.
According to Variety, the heartwarming story will be recounted in Netflix’s new movie, The Thanksgiving Text. The film will reportedly be written by Abdul Williams, who wrote BET mini-series The Bobby Brown Story and Lifetime biopic Salt-N-Pepa. Producers of the movie also include Robert Teitel and George Tillman, Jr., for State Street Pictures, which has The Barbershop films and The Hate You Give on its roster. Lawrence Mott will additionally serve as an executive producer.
“We are excited to share our story with the world. We hope it inspires more people to reach out and make connections that they wouldn’t ordinarily make,” Hinton and the Arizona grandma who initiated his accidental Turkey day invite, Wanda Dench, said in a joint statement. “We are so blessed to find a genuine friendship brought together by God from a mistaken text message.”
I am very excited to announce our new partnership with Netflix. 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! 🎥🍾 pic.twitter.com/0heCmEWMDM
— Jamal Hinton (@Jamalhinton12) December 2, 2021
Netflix has not yet named a director for The Thanksgiving Text, nor has it cast the film yet.
It all began six years ago, in 2016, when Dench thought she sent a text to her grandson to see if he would be coming over for Thanksgiving. Unbeknownst to her, she was texting then-teen, Hinton, who asked who was messaging him. To his response, she replied, “Your grandma,” and sent a selfie. He then said, “You not my grandma,” but hilariously asked, “Can I still get a plate tho?” Dench then wrote back, writing, “Of course, you can. That’s what grandmas do…Feed everyone.”
The exchange has since turned into an unlikely friendship and began an annual tradition in which Hinton would continue coming over for Thanksgiving. It also went viral on social media, prompting him to post their annual Turkey day dinners on Twitter and Instagram.
In 2021, he posted a holiday selfie alongside Dench, her husband, Lonnie, and his girlfriend Mikaela, as she reportedly began joining them for dinner. Lonnie tragically passed away from COVID-19 in 2020.
“For everyone who thinks it’s just for the cameras and social media. Blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives,” Hinton tweeted that year.
Thanksgiving 2021 pic.twitter.com/2Ff3PpvvVY
— Jamal Hinton (@Jamalhinton12) November 25, 2021
