Queen Latifah has joined the cast of “Empire” co-creator Lee Daniels‘ new untitled Fox drama pilot.
The series, focusing on the rise of an all-female singing group from Atlanta, will feature Latifah as the owner of an Atlanta beauty salon and a mentor to the women in the group.
Also joining the cast are newcomers Jude Demorest, Ryan Destiny and Brittany O’Grady as the members of the group. They’ll play Star, Alexandra and Simone, respectively.
The untitled drama is the first project to come out of Daniels’ overall deal with producer 20th Century Fox Television.
Fox announced the pilot order in August, during the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour. Speaking to reporters at the time, Daniels revealed that the series would be about a white woman named Star who forms a girl group with two black women.
“Star is white and she is thrust into a world of blackness,” Daniels told reporters. He added, “She has a sister who is half black, Simone, and she has a best friend who is black, and they move to Atlanta to form a girls group.”
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