Lupita to play Ugandan mum to chess mastermind

Lupita's star shone this past weekend at the Oscar's red carpet.

Anyhow, on matters acting, the Oscar winner will have a chance to wow audiences again in a Ugandan production dubbed “Queen of Katwe”.

It is about an African chess prodigy, Phiona Mutesi, who was profiled in ESPN the Magazine in 2011.

Mutesi’s story also inspired a book, also entitled “Queen of Katwe,” which chronicles Mutesi’s rise from dire poverty to the World Chess Olympiad. Nair has a reputation for making movies with complex, layered female leads, which explains the interest in Mutesi, who became a chess champion growing up and practicing in a small, poor Ugandan village.

Lupita, who is playing Mutesi’s mother, will likely work with David Oyelowo, the same actor with whom she’s co-starring in “Americanah.”