According to Variety, Merv Griffin Entertainment has partnered with Big Headz Entertainment and Lexi Dog Media to produce the bigscreen adaptation of V.C. Andrews' bestselling novel "Rain."

Novelist Andrew Neiderman, who authored "The Devil's Advocate" and sometimes ghostwrote for Andrews, penned the screenplay.

Thesp Robert Loggia has signed on to the project.

The coming-of-age drama concerns a musically gifted African-American girl who goes to live with white relatives she never knew she had after her parents are murdered.

Lexi Dog and Big Headz will fully finance the $2 million film, for which a November start date is planned. Merv Griffin Entertainment is a full partner on the project.

Big Headz's Travis Hollman, Merv Griffin's Audrey Loggia and Candace Farrell and Lexi Dog's Suzanne Heinz are producing.