Teri Woods’ Talks “True to the Game” New Movie & How She Sold 2 million Copies

Before street lit had its own section in the bookstore, Teri Woods was the bookstore. The author behind True to the Game stopped through Atlanta as the film version of her classic novel plays in theaters, and FreddyO was there as Woods and the cast talked about bringing one of the culture’s most beloved books to the big screen.

Woods’ story is the blueprint for independent success. Long before any major deals, she was pushing her books hand to hand and building a movement out of pure hustle, and True to the Game went on to sell more than two million copies and make her the godmother of urban fiction. Readers have passed that book around for years, so this movie has been a long time coming.

The film stars Columbus Short as a Philadelphia kingpin whose world collides with a young woman, played by Erica Peeples, who dreams of a life beyond the one around her, with Vivica A. Fox and the late Nelsan Ellis rounding out the cast. Director Preston A. Whitmore II and executive producer Manny Halley told the room how determined they were to do the story justice for the fans who have loved it for so many years.

Press play to hear Teri Woods and the cast talk True to the Game, in theaters now, and tell us in the comments: what book from the culture needs to be a movie next?

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