“But she’s a genius”.
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The story focuses on the work and challenges behind the successful spaceflight of astronaut John Glenn, who became the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962. Johnson eventually left NASA in 1986 and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama a year ago.
Did you know that three brilliant African-American women were instrumental in making NASA’s mission to put a man in space a reality? No? Octavia Spencer plays fellow NASA mathematician Dorothy Vaughn, and Janelle Monáe rounds out the central trio as NASA engineer Mary Jackson.
With a seasoned supporting cast including Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst and Jim Parson, as well as music from Pharrell Williams, the film has success written all over it.
Based on the book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures follows the true story of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson (Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe)-the Black women who made NASA’s success possible during the heated early days of the space race. The director is St. Vincent’s Theodore Melfi, which means the film is likely to feature strong character work and not just be the obvious “big dreamer” formula. The trailer, which debuted during NBC’s Olympics coverage on Sunday night, is a splendid mix of humor and emotional gravitas, especially from its three female leads.
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“Hidden Figures” is scheduled to arrive in theaters on January 13, 2017.
