Los Angeles - Lupita Nyong'o is in talks to star in Steven Spielberg's new sci-fi film Intelligent Life.
The 32-year-old Oscar winner is in discussions to take on the lead female role in the movie which is in the early stages of development.
Spielberg's company Amblin Entertainment is backing the project and the director job is being offered to Selma's Ava DuVernay, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The script has been penned by Jurassic World writers Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly.
Intelligent Life is set to star shooting in the summer and the plot follows a man who works in an official department which has been created to represent the human race in the event of alien contact.
Nyong'o is tipped to play a "mysterious woman" that he falls for who turns out to be an extra-terrestrial.
If Lupita signs on to the project it will her second foray into the world of science-fiction.
The actress voiced the CGI character Maz Kanata in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and she will return to the role for Star Wars: Episode VIII.
Lupita's voice will next be heard on the big screen in Disney's re-imagining of The Jungle Book which will be released on 15 April.