Sanaa Lathan will executive produce and star in the film adaptation of Omar Tyree’s classic book trilogy, “Flyy Girl”.
Lathan, who partnered with Lionsgate’s Codeblack Films to produce the film, will play the lead role of beautiful, smart and spoiled Tracey Ellison.
“I’m pleased to executive produce and star in Lionsgate and Codeblack’s incredible adaptation of Omar Tyree’s iconic ‘Flyy Girl’ trilogy,” said Lathan.
“So many people have grown up on this series and I’m looking forward to bringing Tracy Ellison’s story to life through film. It’s my hope to continue to help bring diverse stories to the big screen.”
Lathan’s no stranger to taking on roles in iconic Black films. Over the course of two decades she’s starred in “Love and Basketball”, “The Best Man” trilogy, and “Brown Sugar”.
Published in 1993, “Flyy Girl” was the first of several urban fiction books that exploded on the literary scene in the 90s. Tyree’s trilogy paved the way for stories like “The Coldest Winter Ever” and Teri Wood’s “True to the Game”, which chronicled the lives of inner city youth as they navigate drugs, money, violence, and love in East coast cities like New York and Philadelphia.
“Codeblack is focused on producing quality content for the African American community and ‘Flyy Girl’ is one of the books that launched the Urban Street Lit movement, so it is an iconic African American property that fits our mission perfectly,” said Codeblack Films President Jeff Clanagan.
Tyree’s trilogy follows Tracey Ellison from popular and attractive Philadelphia teen, to high powered business woman as she learns valuable lessons about life, love and materialism.
Academy Award-winning screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher, of “Precious” fame, has been engaged to write the script, according to Codeblack reps.
“Both Sanaa Lathan and Geoffrey Fletcher are welcome additions to this project and we could not be happier to have them on board to help us bring this story to life,” Clanagan said.
“Lathan’s star power paired with Fletcher’s nuanced script work – we’re confident that ‘Flyy Girl’ will prove to be a classic.”
Tyree’s books have been read by over 8 million people and have grossed more than $30 million.
