Usually, if you accidentally text a stranger, you either get a generic text saying something like “wrong number” back, or you may not even receive a response at all. Very rarely does a text like that turn into something more—but it did for Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton.

In 2016, Wanda went to text her grandson to tell him the time he should arrive for Thanksgiving dinner. However, she accidentally texted the wrong number and wound up telling Jamal—a perfectly good stranger at the time—that dinner would be ready at 3 p.m.

After they both realized they didn’t know each other by sending photos of each other, Jamal jokingly asked if he could still come to dinner. And Wanda said yes—of course!

That year, Jamal did, in fact, attend Wanda’s Thanksgiving dinner. And because he took her invite so seriously, that’s what began a tradition that the two have kept up for the past six years. Jamal has attended every single one since, some even with his girlfriend, Mikaela. And the two have become very close friends.

It’s truly a story (and friendship) unlike any other! Jamal even has Wanda in his phone as “Grandma Wanda.” You just don’t come across this type of relationship or circumstance very often.

That’s why Netflix recently announced that they will be creating a brand new movie about Wanda and Jamal, and just exactly what happened to ignite such a unique friendship (and sense of family!). The movie will appropriately be called “The Thanksgiving Text.”

“I am very excited to announce our new partnership with Netflix,” Jamal tweeted about the news. “We thank every single one of you for your love and support in our journey the last 6 years. We can’t wait to tell our story on the big screen!”

“The film will depict Wanda and Jamal’s story, even “despite their very different backgrounds,” Netflix says in a press release.

“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,” the two said in a statement. “We are so blessed to find a genuine friendship brought together by God from a mistaken text message.”

The feature film will be written by Abdul Williams, who also took part in “Lottery Ticket,” “Salt-N-Pepa,” and more.

Have you heard of this pair before? Will you be watching this movie when it comes to Netflix?

Most Popular