Kirsten Dunst (Marie Antoinette) is the latest addition to the cast of Fox 2000’s Hidden Figures, joining Golden Globe winner Taraji P. Henson (TV’s Empire), Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer (The Help), Academy Award winner Kevin Costner (Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit), and Janelle Monae (Moonlight). The news was first reported by Deadline.
Ted Melfi (St. Vincent) will helm from Allison Schroeder’s adaptation of Margot Lee Shetterly’s nonfiction book Hidden Figures: The Story of the African-American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race: An Untold Story, which will be published by William Morrow/Harper Collins in September of this year. The book is about a group of African-American women including Katherine Johnson (Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Monae). They were top graduates of historically black colleges, who were brilliant mathematicians helping NASA win the space race, yet were segregated from their white female counterparts. The feature will focus on astronaut John Glenn’s momentous launch into orbit, and his safe return. Costner will play the head of the space program. Bob Jennings (Any Day) will play a Navy officer. Dunst’s role has yet to be announced.
Dunst, who played love interest Mary Jane Watson to Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man (2002, 2004, 2007) starred last year on the small screen in FX’s acclaimed series, Fargo, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination, and on the big screen in Hossein Amini’s The Two Faces of January opposite Oscar Isaac (Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens) and Viggo Mortensen (Far From Men). She will be seen next in Jeff Nichols’ sci-fi adventure Midnight Special alongside Adam Driver (Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens).
Hidden Figures will be produced by Melfi along with Chernin Entertainment and Donna Gigliotti of Levantine Films. It is set for theatrical release on January 13, 2017.
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