Juleah Del Rosario’s words (or less) are about to come to life…

Gabrielle Union has joined forces with Rebel Maverick and Amyale to secure the rights to the Latina author and librarian’s debut novel, 500 Words Or Less, a young adult fiction which will be adapted into a feature.

Union will produce the project under her I’ll Have Another Productions banner, with Holly Shakoor Fleischeroverseeing development on behalf of the company.

Written entirely in verse, the book, which was released last week via Simon Pulse, centers on Nic Chen, a Chinese-American high school senior who attempts to salvage her reputation among her Ivy League-obsessed classmates by writing their college admission essays and in the process learns big truths about herself.

“I am such a fan of young adult stories in general but this novel really got me. It is beautifully written entirely in verse and the exploration of identity and what that means to you and those around you is something that my production company is focused on exploring with all the stories we choose to tell. This one really hit home and I’m excited to be part of bringing it to life as accurately as we possibly can,” stated Union.

Del Rosario is currently working on her next novel, Turtle Under Ice, which should come out in Spring 2020.