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‘We Are So Blessed’: Netflix Making Movie About Grandma Who Accidentally Invited Stranger to Thanksgiving

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By Tré Goins-Phillips
Editor

December 7, 2021

Everyone loves a good story, and this one is one of the best.

Netflix announced this month it’s making a movie about the Arizona grandmother who unintentionally invited a stranger — Jamal Hinton — to her family’s Thanksgiving dinner in 2016, according to Variety.

This is year 6❤️

Wanda & Jamal still celebrate Thanksgiving together after the mistaken 2016 text.

Today I sat down with them for a personal interview reflecting on the past, joy & loss, and what’s to come for the two of them.@Jamalhinton12 @wandadench https://t.co/rIF0s9a49T pic.twitter.com/BUPlzzqaG5

— Briana Whitney (@BrianaWhitney) November 25, 2021

The now-annual tradition began when Wanda Dench sent a message to Hinton, believing she was texting her grandson to check if he was planning to come to her house for the November holiday. Dench, though, mistakenly sent the question to the wrong phone number, delivering a message instead to Hinton, then a high school senior.

When he received Dench’s message, Hinton asked who the text was from.

“Your grandma,” she wrote back. In response, Hinton sent a photo of himself along with the message: “You not my grandma,” jokingly adding, “Can I still get a plate, tho?”

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

Six years later, the unlikely friends are still getting together for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving 2021 pic.twitter.com/2Ff3PpvvVY

— Jamal Hinton (@Jamalhinton12) November 25, 2021

The Netflix film — “The Thanksgiving Text” — will tell the story of the heartwarming relationship between Hinton and Dench, centered on the surprising text that started it all.

Dench and Hinton have expressed excitement about the movie.

“We are excited to share our story with the world,” they said in a joint statement. “We hope it inspires more people to reach out and make connections that they wouldn’t ordinarily make. We are so blessed to find a genuine friendship brought together by God from a mistaken text message.”

The screenplay will be written by Abdul Williams and produced by Robert Teitel and George Tillman, Jr. Lawrence Mott will serve as the film’s executive producer.

***As the number of voices facing big-tech censorship continues to grow, please sign up for Faithwire’s daily newsletter and download the CBN News app, developed by our parent company, to stay up-to-date with the latest news from a distinctly Christian perspective.***

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