Latifah, Hudson, Keys Drawn to ‘Bees’

Queen Latifah and Jennifer Hudson have signed on to star in Fox Searchlight’s “The Secret Life of Bees,” the big-screen adaptation of the Sue Monk Kidd best-seller. Searchlight also confirmed that it is in final negotiations with Dakota Fanning and Alicia Keys to also star in the film, a female-oriented coming-of-age tale. Tristan Wilds will play one of the film’s male roles. Gina Prince-Bythewood (“Love & Basketball”) — who is attached to direct the adaptation of another best-seller, “I Know This Much Is True,” for Fox 2000 — will direct “Bees” from her own script.