Fox may have a stealth player they are about to drop on the Oscar race. Hidden Figures, from Margot Lee Shetterly's book on this true story, follows a team of African American female mathemeticians that helped NASA's space program put John Glenn into orbit. Talk about a history we don't know nearly enough about, certainly not one we've seen expressed on film.
The cast carries it's own Oscar pedigree with nominee Taraji P. Henson and winner Octavia Spencer, but the standout here might just be musician Janelle Monáe (also coming this season in Moonlight). Her trademark showmanship and wit don't look to be a bit diminished by trying something new - we'll definitely be keeping an eye one her. The film also looks like a possible step up for St. Vincent writer/director Ted Melfi, so could this be a late season crowd pleaser surprise? Take a look at the first trailer:
Filming happened earlier this year, so even its planned wide release on MLK weekend is a sprint to the finish. Fox is confident enough in the film to be scheduling a first look of select footage during the Toronto Film Festival with a concert event led by Pharrell Williams. Sounds like a Christmastime limited release or qulaifying release is definitely on the table - and hopefully is yet another film to represent diversity this year.