Dakota Fanning and Alicia Keys are in final negotiations to join the cast of "
The Secret Life of Bees," a female-oriented coming-of-age tale based on the Sue Monk Kidd best-seller.
"Bees," a drama set in the Southern U.S. in the 1960s, centers on teenager Lily Owens (Fanning) and her friend Rosaleen (Hudson) who flee their hometown to escape their harsh upbringing and seek to uncover the mysteries of Lily's late mother. Along the way, they encounter three beekeeping sisters (Latifah, Okonedo, Keys) who take the pair in to their South Carolina home.