First Look: See Lupita Nyong'o in Her Next Project, 'The Queen of Katwe'

Disney has released the first of images from Lupita Nyong’o’s upcoming project, The Queen of Katwe.

The Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding) film centers on Phiona Mutesi, a young girl from the slums of Kampala, Uganda who is a chess prodigy. Nyong’o plays Phiona’s mother and David Oyelowo (Selma) plays a missionary who teaches children in the Katwe neighborhood the game of chess. Newcomer Madina Nalwanga plays Mutesi.

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Now a chess champion who competes internationally, Mutesi, 18, began playing chess when she was nine after taking free lessons at a local church. “I didn’t go there for chess, I went just to get a meal,” she told The Guardian.

“I like chess because it involves planning. If you don’t plan, you will end up with a bad life.”

The film is based on a book by sports writer Tim Crothers.

The Queen of Katwe will open in theaters this fall.