After dominating the box office in 2016 and garnering three Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Disney has begun development on a stage musical adaptation of the NASA biographical drama Hidden Figures, according to Deadline.
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The musical, which is planning to assemble a creative team of Black artists, has reportedly been in the works for a few years under the radar and has film scholar and former film critic Elvis Mitchell attached as a creative consultant, though details regarding the casting, creative team and target dates have yet to be announced.
Loosely based on Margot Lee Shetterly’s nonfiction book of the same name, Hidden Figures is the incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe)—brilliant African-American women working at NASA, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race, and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.
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Directed by Theodore Melfi (St. Vincent), Hidden Figures also starred Kevin Costner (Yellowstone), Kirsten Dunst (On Becoming a God in Central Florida), Jim Parsons (Hollywood), Mahershala Ali (Ramy), Aldis Hodge (The Invisible Man) and Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick).
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Released Christmas 2016, the film went on to gross $236 million on a $25 million budget and received rave reviews from critics for its performances and exploration of its untold story, garnering three Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Spencer, as well as two Golden Globe nominations for Best Original Score and Best Supporting Actress for Spencer.
