Netflix making movie of grandma who accidentally invited wrong man to Thanksgiving

A viral Thanksgiving tradition that began in 2016 has captured the hearts of America, and soon it will be a Netflix movie.

Netflix announced Dec. 2 the true story of Jamal Hinton and Wanda Dench will be made into a movie, titled “The Thanksgiving Text.” Casting decisions have not been announced.

The tradition between Hinton and Dench began in 2016, when Dench accidentally texted Hinton instead of her grandson and invited him to Thanksgiving dinner at her home in Mesa, Arizona. Hinton, a senior in high school at the time, accepted the invitation.

“You not my grandma,” Hinton replied to Dench, with a photo of himself. “Can I still get a plate tho?”

“Of course you can,” Dench replied. “That’s what grandmas do... feed everyone.”

They have since spent six straight Thanksgivings together, and their story goes viral each holiday. They share a picture together each year commemorating the special occasion.

Dench’s husband, Lonnie Dench, also participated in the tradition before he died in April 2020 of COVID-19. In recent years, Hinton’s significant other has been a part of the annual dinner.

Hinton and Dench said in a statement they “are excited to share” their story with the world.

“We hope it inspires more people to reach out and make connections that they wouldn’t ordinarily make,” they said. “We are so blessed to find a genuine friendship brought together by God from a mistaken text message.”

Abdul Williams, who wrote the “Salt-N-Pepa” TV movie along with TV series about New Edition and Bobby Brown, has been pegged to write the movie.