Sanaa Lathan is joining the list of on-screen talent making their way to the Director’s seat.
Lathan’s directorial debut at Paramount Players will be an adaptation of the New York Times Best Selling novel On The Come Up by Angie Thomas.
A previous feature film The Hate U Give—directed by George Tillman Jr— was also adapted from a novel written by Thomas in 2018. Tillman was slotted to direct On The Come Up as well, however, those plans weren’t upheld after the Disney-Fox acquisition. A deal for Wanuri Kahiu also fell through due to an issue with scheduling.
After a meeting with Paramount Players, executives were moved by Lathan’s vision for the film, which secured her position in the director’s seat.
Per the books official description:
Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least win her first battle. As the daughter of an underground hip hop legend who died right before he hit big, Bri’s got massive shoes to fill. But it’s hard to get your come up when you’re labeled a hoodlum at school, and your fridge at home is empty after your mom loses her job. So Bri pours her anger and frustration into her first song, which goes viral…for all the wrong reasons.
Stay tuned for updates on casting and a release date.
The Assignment 