''True to the Game'' is a 2017 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by Preston A. Whitmore II, written by Nia Hill, and starring

Columbus Short Columbus Keith Short Jr. (born September 19, 1982) is an American actor and choreographer. He choreographed Britney Spears's Onyx Hotel Tour and worked with Brian Friedman (of ''So You Think You Can Dance'' fame). He is best known for his roles ...

Andra Fuller Andra Fuller (born May 29, 1979 in Houston, Texas) is an American actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his role in The CW drama series '' The L.A. Complex''. Early life The youngest of three siblings, he was educated at Baylor Universi ...

Vivica A. Fox Vivica Anjanetta Fox (born July 30, 1964) is an American actress, producer, and television host. Fox began her career on ''Soul Train'' (19821983). She eventually continued her career with roles on the daytime television soap operas ''Days of O ...

Nelsan Ellis Nelsan Ellis (November 30, 1977 – July 8, 2017) was an American actor and playwright. He achieved critical acclaim for his portrayal of Lafayette Reynolds in the HBO television series ''True Blood'' (2008–2014), for which he won a Sa ...

and

Jennifer Freeman Jennifer Nicole Freeman, often credited as Jennifer N. Freeman, is an American actress and spokesmodel. She is best known for playing the role of Claire Kyle in the sitcom ''My Wife and Kids'' (introduced in season 2) and her film roles in ''You ...

. It was based on Teri Woods' novel of the same name.
A 2020 sequel named ''True to the Game 2: Gena's Story'' was released on November 6, 2020. A second sequel, ''True to the Game 3'', was released in December 3, 2021.

Cast

as Quadir Richards *

Draya Michele Andraya Michele Howard (born January 23, 1985) is an American media personality, model, actress, and fashion designer. Early life Andraya Michele was born and raised in Reading, Pennsylvania. She has two children, one with her ex fiancé and ...

as Cherelle * Erica Peeples as Gena Rollins *

as Shoog *

as Tyrik *

as Jerrell Jackson *

as Lita *

Nafessa Williams Nafessa Williams is an American actress. She is most known for her 2011 role as Nicole Gordon in the Meek Mill film ''Streets'', her 2011 role as Deanna Forbes on the ABC soap opera '' One Life to Live'', and her 2016 role as Dr. Charlotte Piel ...

as Sahirah * Jamaar Simon as Rasun * Iyana Halley as Bria *

Annika Noelle Annika Noelle Kucheman (born December 24, 1986), better known as Annika Noelle, is an American actress and model best known for playing the role of Hope Logan in the soap ''The Bold and the Beautiful''. Biography Annika Noelle was born in Bost ...

as Aubrey * Misan Akuya as Drug Dealer * Starletta DuPois as Gah-Git * George Arvanitdis as Club Patron * Lorenzo Eduardo as Winston * Nikki Leigh as Megan

Production

It was reported that a film adaptation of Teri Woods' novel ''True to the Game'' would go ahead in December 2015.

was reported to have signed on for the lead role on September 17, 2015. The rest of the main cast was announced on October 13, 2015, including

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

began for the film in October 2015 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and finished in April 2016. This would be

' final film role before his death two months prior to the film's release. The film was dedicated to his memory.

Soundtrack

True to the Game : Music Features By

Keyshia Cole Keyshia Myeshia Cole Johnson; born October 15, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Born and raised in Oakland, California, Cole began her career as a backing vocalist for MC Hammer. After signing with A&M Records ...

21 Savage Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph (born October 22, 1992), known professionally as 21 Savage, is a rapper based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Born in London, he moved to Atlanta with his mother at age seven. He became known after releasing two m ...

, Big Block, Kris Kelli and

Young Scooter Kenneth Edward Bailey (born March 28, 1986), better known by his stage name Young Scooter, is an American rapper who is affiliated with Freebandz and 1017 Brick Squad Records and CEO of his own label Black Migo Gang. Scooter grew to prominence i ...

, In 2017—18.

Trilogy

* The sequel named True to the Game 2: Gena's Story was released in limited theaters on November 6, 2020. * A third installment named True to the Game 3 was released in limited theaters on December 3, 2021.

References

External links

* * * 2017 films American thriller drama films 2017 thriller drama films American romantic thriller films American romantic drama films 2017 drama films Films set in Philadelphia 2010s English-language films 2010s American films {{2010s-drama-film-stub