The Secret Life of Bees (Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com) is a novel by Sue Monk Kidd that tells the story of a young girl who grows up dealing with, amongst many other grown up issues she's having to deal with such as racism in 1964 South Carolina, the fact that she believes she's responsible for her mother's death.

According to reports it's a moving novel that's a superb read, and has been receiving a lot of praise. So the news that Paul Bettany and Dakota Fanning are on board is good, but Queen Latifah?

I'm not so sure how fans of the book who know films will think of that news through Dtheatre, for Queen Latifah hasn't exactly had a strong career. She certainly has shown that she has the capability to perform some dramatic roles, but we haven't really seen her in anything other than mediocre comedies for a while.

Bettany and Fanning however are sounding very strong dramatic choices. Perhaps rather than derided the thought it could be seen as a chance for Latifah to get into some more serious films and raise her acting game?