February 20, 2025: Actress and singer Janelle Monae is set to star in and produce the Universal Pictures 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 film will explore Smith’s daring financial scheme that manipulates the U.S. banking system out of millions, as detailed in her memoir. Monae, under her Wondaland Pictures banner, will also serve as a producer, with Smith herself set to executive produce the project.
The story follows Smith, who managed to execute a clever white-collar crime that took the FBI by surprise. A key part of the memoir’s narrative reveals how, when the FBI finally cornered Smith, they were unwilling to believe that a Black woman could mastermind such sophisticated financial crimes. According to the producers, the FBI skeptically remarked, “These are not the kind of crimes black people are smart enough to commit.”
While Smith completed a harsh prison sentence for her financial crimes, she has since become an advocate for prison reform, racial justice, and economic equality. Her transformation into an advocate speaks to the broader themes of inequality and the systemic barriers that Black individuals often face.
Monae’s involvement in the project adds a layer of depth and authenticity, as she has earned recognition for her work both as an actress and as a musician. She has starred in films like Moonlight, Hidden Figures, Antebellum, Harriet, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, and the Amazon series Homecoming. Her music career includes Grammy-nominated albums like The ArchAndroid (2010), The Electric Lady (2013), Dirty Computer (2018), and The Age of Pleasure (2023).
With ten Grammy nominations under her belt, Monae is also a recipient of a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Children’s and Family Emmy Award. Her accolades include the ASCAP Vanguard Award, as well as the Rising Star Award (2015) and the Trailblazer of the Year Award (2018) from Billboard Women in Music.
This film marks another significant step for Monae, blending her talents in both film and music while shedding light on an important narrative about crime, racial justice, and the flaws within the system.