A project we've been following since the initial announcement last summer, George Tillman Jr., director 1997's Soul Food, 2000's Men of Honor with Robert Deniro and Cuba Gooding Jr., 2009's Notorious and 2010's Faster starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, is set to direct State Street Pictures' The Inevitable Defeat Of Mister And Pete.

State Streets is teaming up with iDeal Partners for the drama, which stars Jennifer Hudson as a drug addict mother whose arrest forces her son and his best friend to fend for themselves.

The script was penned by Michael Starrbury, and the film stars Jordin Sparks, Jeffrey Wright, Jennifer Hudson and Anthony Mackie. A quick glance at screenwriter Starrbury's imdb, shows a few credits under his belt including the 2011 TV film Black Jack starring Ving Rhames and a few shorts.

It's not yet known what roles the other actors will play in the film. But we're working on finding out the rest of the details.

The film is being co-produced by Alicia Keys who co-starred with Hudson in The Secret Life of Bees.

Production began today in Brooklyn.