Netflix Is Making A Movie Based On This Heartwarming Viral Tweet From 2016

For the past five years, the Internet has been charmed by a viral story involving Thanksgiving dinner, a wrong number, and a newfound friendship — and apparently, it is soon headed to film. On Thursday, it was announced (via a report from Variety) that Netflix had greenlit The Thanksgiving Text, a movie based on the real-life story of Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton, two strangers who bonded after an accidental exchange of text messages in 2016. The film will be written by Abdul Williams (Salt-N-Pepa, The Bobby Brown Story), with producers including Robert Teitel and George Tillman, Jr. A director and cast have not been set at this time.

Back in 2016, Dench thought she was texting her grandson to check if he would be coming over for Turkey Day, only to discover that she had the wrong cell phone number. She actually texted Jamal Hinton, a high school senior at the time, who accepted her invitation anyway – and has attended the festivities every year since.

"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," Dench and Hinton said in a joint statement. "We are so blessed to find a genuine friendship brought together by God from a mistaken text message."

Dench and Hinton's story has warmed the Internet's heart for several years now, especially as they have continued to document their meetings on social media. 

"It was a reminder that there are still some good people left in this world," Hinton said of Dench in a 2016 interview with People.com. "She is a very sweet lady, she told me her husband was a veteran and she always invited his friends over for dinner, so she's used to having a lot of people over. I just got a vibe from her that made me feel at home."

What do you think of Netflix turning The Thanksgiving Text into a feature film? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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