Hidden Figures footage headed to Toronto Film Festival

Hidden Figures is blasting off in Toronto.

The Toronto International Film Festival has announced that 20th Century Fox will premiere a first look at Theodore Melfi’s upcoming NASA drama on Sept. 10, with cast members Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe on hand for an audience Q&A.

In addition to showcasing new footage, Pharrell Williams and friends will then take the stage for an exclusive outdoor concert. Not only did the singer produce Hidden Figures, but he also oversaw the film’s music and penned original songs.

“I am so honoured for the world to first see a part of Hidden Figures at TIFF where I was lucky enough to premiere my first ever feature, St. Vincent,” Melfi said in a statement. “TIFF has a very special place in my heart. Pharrell’s musical genius acumen takes the film to a different level.”

Hidden Figures is currently set to hit theaters on Jan. 13, but the early Toronto launch hints that Fox could be weighing an earlier run to make it eligible in the upcoming Academy Awards race. Based on Margot Lee Shetterly’s book of the same name (which will be released in September), Hidden Figures tells the true and largely unknown story of the African-American mathematicians who helped launch astronaut John Glenn into space.

Henson, Spencer, and Monáe star as Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, and Mary Jackson, respectively, with Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, and Mahershala Ali rounding out the cast. Allison Schroeder adapted the screenplay from Shetterly’s book.