Nasa's black women boffins get big-screen countdown

Margot Lee Shetterly's forthcoming book Hidden Figures, about unsung black women recruited as mathematicians during the space race, to receive major film adaptation

Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, Dorothy Vaughan, Kathryn Peddrew, Sue Wilder, Eunice Smith and Barbara Holley - all names that have been largely forgotten by the American public. And yet these black, female mathematicians were crucial in the success of the Nasa space missions during the 1950s and 60s. Now their story is being placed back into the public eye in a new film.

Shakespeare in Love producer Donna Gigliotti, screenwriter Allison Schroeder and St Vincent director Ted Melfi are adapting Margot Lee Shetterly's forthcoming book Hidden Figures for the big screen, according to Deadline. Actors rumoured for the lead roles include Oprah Winfrey, Taraji P Henson, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer.