Disney has released the first of images from Lupita Nyong’o’s upcoming project, The Queen of Katwe.
The Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding) film centers on Phiona Mutesi, a young girl from the slums of Kampala, Uganda who is a chess prodigy. Nyong’o plays Phiona’s mother and David Oyelowo (Selma) plays a missionary who teaches children in the Katwe neighborhood the game of chess. Newcomer Madina Nalwanga plays Mutesi.
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Now a chess champion who competes internationally, Mutesi, 18, began playing chess when she was nine after taking free lessons at a local church. “I didn’t go there for chess, I went just to get a meal,” she told The Guardian.
“I like chess because it involves planning. If you don’t plan, you will end up with a bad life.”
The film is based on a book by sports writer Tim Crothers.
The Queen of Katwe will open in theaters this fall.
