Much more recognisably herself than at any point during her time running a space cantina on Takodana, Lupita Nyong’o is the star of Disney’s uplifting new drama Queen Of Katwe. A new teaser trailer offers a sample of what to expect and you can watch it below. Right there, see? Go to it.
This one has Nyong’o playing a Ugandan woman, Harriet Mutesi, who discovers that her daughter Phiona (newcomer Madina Nalwanga) has the kind of chess skills that would make Nigel Short weep. She's soon swapping the slums of Kampala for the tutelage of coach Robert Katende (David Oyelowo) and a journey to the World Chess Olympiad. It’s all based on Tim Crothers’ 2011 ESPN magazine article The Queen Of Katwe: A Story Of Life, Chess, And One Extraordinary Girl’s Dream Of Becoming A Grandmaster.
With all its blockbuster franchises in play, as well as its _Jungle Book_s and Pixar movies, it’s easy to forget that there’s a corner of Disney still dedicated to turning out the smaller family-friendly movies that were its bread and butter for so long. Like the Jon Hamm-starring Million Dollar Arm and Kevin Costner’s McFarland, USA, only substituting chess for cricket and athletics, this one should have a stirring, if possibly familiar ring of against-the-odds magic.
Queen Of Katwe heads into UK cinemas this autumn.