First announced back in October 2011, a remake of the 1989 tear jerker drama set in Louisiana, Steel Magnolias, with an all-African American cast, should be in post-production right now.

The film's cast includes: Queen Latifah (she's also executive producer) as M'Lynn, Alfre Woodard as Ouiser, Phylicia Rashad as Clairee, Jill Scott as Truvy, Adepero Oduye as Annelle and Rashad’s daughter, Condola Rashad as Shelby. 

The original Steel Magnolias starred Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Darryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, and Julia Roberts.

This all-black reincarnation for Lifetime is being directed by Kenny Leon (ABC's A Raisin in The Sun, Broadway's Fences and The Mountaintop), from a script adapted from the 1989 film screenplay by Sally Robinson.

Supporting each other through their triumphs and tragedies, they congregate at Truvy’s beauty shop to ponder the mysteries of life and death, husbands and children – and hair and nails – all the important topics that bring women together.

This is a project that had me perplexed when I first heard about it last year; I guess I can understand the motivation for Lifetime and the film's producers wanting to make it. But really, aside from the fact that these wonderful actresses get to work and collect paychecks (I'm especially happy to see Adepero Oduye getting another opportunity after Pariah), I'd like to believe that there's something original out there for all of them to star in. And if not, Latifah should be in a position to commission a script based on an original idea/concept.

Ah well… so it goes…

I don't have an exact ETA date yet, but I suspect it'll debut in the fall; a trailer should be released soon.

In the meantime, watch the behind-the-scenes footage video below: