March 28, 2014 - 14:41 AMT
Madonna to direct “Adé: A Love Story” bestseller adaptation

Madonna (“W.E.”) is attached to direct Adé, based on the bestselling author Rebecca Walker's new novel “Adé: A Love Story”, TheWrap reported.

Oscar winner Bruce Cohen (“American Beauty”) is producing under his Bruce Cohen Productions banner along with the company's Jessica Leventhal and Walker.

The book, which is based on Walker's real life experience, was released in October by Amazon Publishing's Little A literary imprint, and quickly earned both critical and commercial success.

When a sophisticated, bi-racial college student falls in love with Adé, a young Swahili man living on an idyllic island off the coast of Kenya, the two plan to marry and envision a simple life together — free of worldly possessions and concerns. But when the lovers are caught in the middle of a civil war, reality threatens to tear them apart, along with all they cherish.

Madonna and the producing team are currently seeking a screenwriter to adapt the novel, while CAA is arranging financing for the project.

Walker is the award-winning author of the New York Times bestselling memoirs ”Black, White, and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self” and ”Baby Love: Choosing Motherhood After a Lifetime of Ambivalence.”