BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. /PRNewswire/ — Music mogul and entrepreneur Manny Halley (CEO of Imani Entertainment Group) has acquired the rights to New York Times Best Selling Author Teri Woods’ cult urban classic books, “True To the Game” and “Dutch”. Halley and Woods will team up to produce and bring both novels to the big screen.
“True To the Game”, which has sold over 2 million copies worldwide, is a tumultuous love story set in the late 1980s centering around the lives of protagonists Gena, a young girl from Philly thrown into the rapid streets of Harlem, New York, and Quadir, a slick talking native New Yorker on a rise to street stardom. Young and in love, the pair ultimately risk it all to stay “true to the game”.
“Dutch” tells the story of a complex cat-and-mouse game between New Jersey crime boss James Bernard Jr., known on the street as Dutch, and District Attorney Anthony Jacobs. As Dutch and his crime organization takeover the city’s lucrative heroine trade, DA Jacobs is determined to end their violent reign. With a sudden twist of events, DA Jacobs discovers his job is more than he bargained for.
“‘True To the Game’ and ‘Dutch’ are pioneering bodies of work that have solidified their place in the history books. Fans worldwide have been awaiting the creation of films for both books for a very long time, and we’re thrilled to bring them to life,” Halley explains. “To date, both novels have sold millions worldwide, and the timeless stories are very relevant still today.”
Woods and Halley have already begun assembling an accomplished team of film/TV industry veterans to bring the urban classics to life. Nia Hill, who most recently directed the Cannes Award Winning Film “Color My Mind: The Diagnosis”, wrote the script for “True To the Game” and is set to direct the film. Hill is also the Executive Producer of the award winning gospel competition “Sunday Best,” and the feature films “The Seat Filler” and “Ride Or Die.”
Leah Daniels-Butler (CSA) has signed on as Casting Director for “True To the Game”. She has previously casted for the Academy Nominated films “The Butler”, “Precious”, and “ATL”, as well as Fox’s newest television series, “Empire.”
“True To the Game” and “Dutch” are set to begin filming in 2015.
