Nyong’o is slated to star in director Mira Nair’s Queen of Katwe, based on the life of chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi. Nyong’o talks about how she was first introduced to Nair:

I was home for the summer and I was talking to my parents about my interest in film, and my dad said, ‘You know what? I have a friend who’s married to a director.’ I said, ‘Who?’ and he said, ‘her name is Mira Nair.’ I was like, ‘Daddy… Mira Nair is a big deal. How could you not have told me that you have connections with Mira Nair?’