Disney working on new Hidden Figures stage musical
© NASA Kennedy / Kim Shiflett / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)
A New York Times report has revealed plans for a new Disney stage musical based on Hidden Figures.
The global media company has seemingly got its eyes fixed on the story of three Black female mathematicians who worked at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) during the Space Race. Their story was chronicled in a 2016 non-fiction book, entitled Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race as well as a 2016 film of the same name.
The hit film, starring Taraji P Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe, with supporting performances by Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Glen Powell and Mahershala Ali, was nominated for three Oscars including Best Picture.
Disney is said to be working with film critic Elvis Mitchell on the project, which has been ongoing since 2018. Casting, creative team and any run dates have not yet been revealed.
The report also details a number of productions involving Black artists that are circling Broadway and aiming for a transfer to the heart of New York – including the Pulitzer-winning A Strange Loop and The Secret Life of Bees.
