AceShowbiz -

Lining up a star-studded cast, filmmakers of "The Secret Life of Bees" have successfully got the likes of Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah, and Sophie Okonedo to all star in the project, an adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd's novel of the same name.

Story, set in 1964, follows a teenage girl named Lily Owens as she runs away from her father with her caregiver and only friend to a South Carolina town, where she is later taken in by an eccentric trio of beekeeping sisters. Hudson is set to play the caregiver while Latifah and Okonedo will become two of the three sisters.

Report brought by Variety further informed that Dakota Fanning and Alicia Keys are in negotiations to also take part in the movie. The former is said to be up for Owens role while the latter that of the other sister.

Principal photography is slated to start January 9 next year in North Carolina under the direction of Gina Prince-Bythewood who will carry out the task from her own script. Lauren Shuler Donner and Jack Leslie are both producing alongside James Lassiter, Will Smith, and Joe Pichirallo for Fox Searchlight.