US comedian Cedric The Entertainer, Mike Epps and Taraji P Hensonhave joined the cast of Focus Features' Talk To Me, which began shooting last week.

As previously announced Kasi Lemmons is directing and DonCheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor star in the story based on the life of Ralph Waldo'Petey' Green, an outspoken ex-con who became an iconic radio personality forblack Americans in the 1960s.

Focus will release in North America in 2007 and KimmelInternational is handling overseas rights. Sidney Kimmel Entertainment (SKE) isproducing with the Mark Gordon Company.

Kimmel and Gordon are serving as producers with PelagiusFilms partner Joe Fries and Mark Gordon Company executive vice president of productionJosh McLaughlin.

SKE president of production William Horberg serves as executive producerwith Bruce Toll, Pelagius Films partner Joey Rappa, Cheadle, and J Miles Dale.

Focus senior vice president of production Jill Morris issupervising the project for Focus production chief John Lyons, and SKE seniorvice president of production Josh Deighton is supervising for Horberg.

SKE recently financed Paul Greengrass' United 93 in association with Universal Pictures.Upcoming releases include Trust The Man through Fox Searchlight, and Alpha Dog through Universal.

Mark Gordon iscurrently in production on Roland Emmerich's 10,000 BC.