You wait years for Jim Parsons to return to feature films and suddenly two roles emerge within the space of twenty-four hours.
Just yesterday, we brought you the news that The Big Bang Theory stalwart had landed the title role in Warner Bros. long-in-development supernatural comedy Man-Witch, and today it looks as though Parsons has completed that one-two punch after securing a part in Ted Melfi’s NASA drama, Hidden Figures.
Deadline has the scoop, though no details were disclosed about Parsons’ specific role. What we do know is that Melfi’s awards-friendly picture has been quietly assembling a star-studded ensemble in recent months, with Kirsten Dunst, Kevin Costner, Octavia Spencer and Taraji P. Henson already on board. Indeed, it’s the latter two actresses that will be proving they’re made of the right stuff, assuming the roles of two brilliant African-American mathematicians who helped steer the space race in America’s favor.
Lifting inspiration from Margot Lee Shetterly’s acclaimed novel Hidden Figures: The Story of the African-American Women Who Helped Win the Space Race, their task involved the safe passage of the Friendship 7 vessel, in what became “one of the greatest operations in U.S. history.”
Flippantly referred to as the “Colored Computers,” Hidden Figures lends Spencer and Henson two meaty, eye-catching roles, and Ted Melfi’s period drama is currently making the final preparations for launch ahead of an expected theatrical release in early 2017.
