Black Voices has learned that writer/director/producer Tyler Perry has selected the cast for next film, ”For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf.‘

At last night’s premiere for his latest film, ‘‘Why Did I Get Married Too?,’ the black box-office maverick revealed that the cast will include Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Whoopi Goldberg, Phylicia Rashad, Jurnee Smollett, Kimberly Elise, Kerry Washington, Loretta Devine and Macy Gray.

Based on Ntozake Shange’s award-winning 1975 play, the film is scheduled to shoot in June in New York with a possible winter 2010/ 2011 release date

The riveting play, consisting of a series of poems performed through a cast of nameless women, known only by a color — deal with such subjects as love, abandonment, rape, and abortion, garnered much acclaim, becoming the toast of Broadway when it opened at The Booth Theater in 1976.

It later morphed into an Emmy Award nominated television special and is still being performed around the world.

Elise and Carey are the only two that made the cut from Perry’s initial wish list that he mentioned back in September 2009, which initially included 16-time Grammy Award winner Beyonce Knowles, Academy Award winner Halle Berry and media queenOprah Winfrey.

“Making a film of ‘For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow is Enuf’ is a dream come true for me,” Perry said about the project. “Ntozake Shange’s play is a magnificent tribute to the strength and dignity of women of color, and I think audiences of all generations will be able to recognize and embrace the experiences these women represent. Creatively, this movie is one of the most exciting undertakings of my career.”

As previously reported by Black Voices, ‘For Colored Girls’ will be the first project for 34th Street Films, Perry’s new production company, which is housed at Lionsgate.