Janelle Monáe to play con artist Tanya Smith in Never Saw Me Coming movie adaptation

Actress and singer Janelle Monáe is set to star in and produce the upcoming Universal Pictures film adaptation of Tanya Smith's memoir, Never Saw Me Coming: How I Outsmarted the FBI and the Entire Banking System — and Pocketed $40 Million. The project will be produced through Wondaland Pictures.

Tanya Smith, who will serve as an executive producer, is the often underestimated con artist behind what has been described as “one of the most serious threats to the entire U.S. banking system.”

Starting as a teenage hacker, Smith had already pulled off several heists by the age of 18, amassing millions while successfully evading the law.

When the FBI eventually cornered her, they allegedly “refused to believe that a Black woman could be the mastermind behind such sophisticated crimes.” In retaliation, she outsmarted the federal agents, building a $40M empire of cash, diamonds, and gold bars.

Smith eventually served time in prison, facing one of the longest white-collar sentences in history, before mounting her own defence and securing her freedom.

After her release, Smith became an activist and advocate, focusing on issues ranging from prison reform and racial justice to women's rights and economic equality.

Monáe, known primarily as a music artist, has successfully expanded her acting career with roles in Moonlight, Hidden Figures, Harriet, and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.