News: Spring Edition

[jitterbug13]

Queen Latifah has struck a major deal with Focus Features and Rogue Pictures to develop multiple films under her Flavor Unit Entertainment banner.

First flick up is 'Welfare Queen,' a fact-based story of a woman who scammed the public assistance system. The film will be written by Abdul Williams and co-produced with Tracey Edmonds' Edmonds Entertainment. Latifah, born Dana Owens, is set to star.

Edmonds produced films such as 'Soul Food' and 'Light It Up,' and currently helms reality shows for BET, 'Countdown to Lockdown' and 'College Hill,' respectively.

Latifah's 17-year old Jersey City, N.J. based entertainment company's credits include 'Bringing Down the House,' 'The Cookout,' and last year's 'Beauty Shop.' The slasher flick 'Horror in the Hamptons,' scripted by Alex Mirkin, is included under the new deal with Focus. 'Reality Sucks,' described as a spoof of the reality show genre, is also included into the deal.

"We get our hands on a lot of material we can do well, and our dream is to work up to producing three movies a year," Latifah said in an interview. "This is the first major deal we've signed with a studio and we did it because we felt confident."

The Grammy Award winning music star made her major film debut in Spike Lee's 1991 'Jungle Fever,' and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2002 for her role in 'Chicago.' Latifah, who will next star in 'Stranger Than Fiction' alongside Dustin Hoffman, Will Farrell and Emma Thompson, will begin shooting the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical 'Hairspray' in the coming weeks. In January, the romantic comedy 'Last Holiday' bowed. Her voice is currently heard in 'Ice Age: The Meltdown.'