It’s the perfect endgame for John Leguizamo…

Vertical Entertainment has acquired the North American rights to the 56-year-old Colombian actor/comedian’s feature directorial debut Critical Thinking, which he also stars in and produced.

Written by Dito Montiel, Critical Thinkingtells the 1998 true story of five LatinX and Black teenagers from Miami Jackson Senior High School, located in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Miami, who fight their way into the National Chess Championship under the guidance of their unconventional but inspirational teacher. 

The movie will hit VOD/digital on September 4.

“In today’s fractured society with so many disenfranchised young adults, in our country and around the world, this is a story which can and will inspire all of us to do better, keep focused and stay positive,” said Leguizamo. “With Critical Thinkingwe wanted to create a universal message of hope and spread this message to the world.”

“Given the challenges that many are facing right now, it gives the team at Vertical great pleasure to bring a story this inspiring to screens everywhere,” said Rich Goldberg, co-president of Vertical Entertainment. “It’s a story that celebrates young people who were brave enough to believe in themselves, and we hope audiences will walk away feeling the same.”

Rachel Bay Jones and Michael Kenneth Williams also star in the feature. 

The film was produced by Scott Rosenfelt and Jason Mandl, as well as executive produced by Harvey R. Chaplin, Carla Berkowitz and Emilio Estefan Jr.