An all-star cast brings best-selling novel to the Big Screen.  The movie is set to be released October 17th. We are so excited to say ,that Love & Basketball director, Gina Prince-Bythewood, is directing the best -selling novel, “The Secret Life of Bees.”

The Movie Stars: Queen Latifah as August Boatwright, Jennifer Hudson as Rosaleen Daise,  Sophie Okonedo as May Boatwright, Dakota Fanning as Lily Owens and Alicia Keys as June Boatwright .

“Bees,” a drama set in the Southern U.S. in the 1960s, centers on teenager Lily Owens (Fanning) and her friend Rosaleen (Hudson) who flee their hometown to escape their harsh upbringing and seek to uncover the mysteries of Lily’s late mother. Along the way, they encounter three beekeeping sisters (Latifah, Okonedo, Keys) who take the pair in to their South Carolina home. –Reuters

Prince-Bythewood  craftedt this screenplay in just one month. “It’s a special story with a special cast,” she says. “And I hope we’ve created a special movie.”

1st OFFICIAL photos after the jump… (more…)