Lupita & David Set For South Africa!

Lupita Nyong'o is famous for her role as Patsey in 12 Years A Slave, a role for which she has won 25 awards, including best supporting actress at the 86th Academy Awards.
Hollywood is coming to South Africa again. This time it's Academy Award-winner Lupita Nyong'o who will be working on a US flick here.


The 31-year-old Mexican-Kenyan actress is set to start shooting in autumn for her new role in the Disney movie Queen of Katwe, alongside Selma movie star David Oyelowo.

Not many details have been revealed about the local location of the film, but US reports are abuzz about the two stars heading to South Africa and Uganda - the second location for the film.

According to review site Deadline, the film is based on the true story of Ugandan chess player Phiona Mutesi, who becomes a chess prodigy with the assistance of her coach Robert Kittened.

Mutesi's story was first penned by Tim Crothers in 2011 for ESPN magazine. In the movie Nyong'o will play Mutesi's mother Harriet Mutesi while British-Nigerian actor Oyelowo will play the role of Katende, Mutesi's coach.

The movie will be directed by Mira Nair, and William Wheeler wrote the script. Wheeler also created the screenplay for Nair's previous film, The Reluctant Fundamentalist.

Nyong'o is famous for her role as Patsey in 12 Years A Slave, a role for which she has won 25 awards, including best supporting actress at the 86th Academy Awards. Oyelowo, 38, is best known for his roles in several films including Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Middle of Nowhere and Lincoln and received much praise for his role in The Butler.

Oyelowo stars as Martin Luther King jnr in Selma , a historical drama co-produced by queen of talk Oprah Winfrey. The movie will be screened at local cinemas from February 6.

Nyong'o and Oyelowo will also star in the upcoming adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novel, Americanah.

News Credit: Times Live