Singer/actress Queen Latifah has signed on to play the lead in the romantic comedy, “Just Wright.” The story is a so-called Cinderella tale involving a physical therapist who falls in love with a basketball player she is helping recover from a career-threatening injury. The rom-com had been in development for the past six years at Disney. Recently, Fox Searchlight picked up the project and set it up to begin production some time in May.
Latifah’s company, Flavor Unit, will be co-producing the movie with producer Debra Martin Chase. This is not the first romantic comedy for the entertainer. In 2006, Latifah starred in the remake of “Last Holiday.” Born in East Orange, New Jersey as Dana Owens, she first gained fame as a pop/hip-hop artist before making a smooth and successful transition into acting.
Latifah was nominated for a best-supporting actress Oscar for her role as Matron Mama Morton in the musical “Chicago” (2002). Among her other films, “Hairspray” (2007), “What Happens in Vegas ” (2008), and “The Secret Life of Bees” (2008). Also, she is the voice of Ellie, the woolly mammoth character, in the animated “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” due out this summer.
