Prolific young adult author Angie Thomas has teased the start of filming for her sophomore novel’s take on the big screen.
With Angie serving as a screenwriter and producer on the film, On the Come Up started filming Oct. 25, according to the author’s tweet.
In social media posts over the last week, the author drops other details such as actress Sanaa Lathan assuming her first stint as a feature film director. The film stars Jamila C. Gray as the main character Bri, a rising rapper trying to follow in her late father’s footsteps career-wise as her family battles eviction and deals with the aftermath of a traumatic school incident. Bri’s best friends Malik and Sonny will be played by Michael Cooper Jr. and Miles Gutierrez Riley, respectively.
The script is written by Kay Oyegun, who is no stranger to book-to-film projects with also penning episodes for Queen Sugar based on Natalie Baszile‘s novel of the same name and the screenplay for the upcoming Children of Blood and Bone from the debut novel of the young adult fantasy saga by Tomi Adeyemi. Variety reports that rappers Lil Yachty and GaTa are also a part of the cast.
According to Angie’s social media feeds, the project is being filmed in Atlanta.