Rapper 50 Cent will make his film debut in the semi-autobiographical "Locked and Loaded." The project will be shepherded by Interscope Geffen A&M chairman/CEO Jimmy Iovine and Eminem manager Paul Rosenberg, who have inked a first-look feature film deal with Paramount Pictures and MTV Films.
In "Locked and Loaded," 50 Cent will play a former drug dealer who gives up a life of crime to pursue a music career. "The Sopranos" writer/executive producer Terence Winter is writing the screenplay for the project, which Paramount says is expected in theaters in 2005 or 2006.
Iovine and Rosenberg were, respectively, a producer and executive producer of Universal Pictures' "8 Mile," a 2002 feature film loosely based on the life of its star, Eminem. The film grossed nearly $117 million at the U.S. box office, according to Nielsen EDI. The "8 Mile" soundtrack (Shady/Interscope Records) spawned Eminem's "Lose Yourself," which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in addition to winning an Oscar for best original song and a Grammy Award for best rap song.
Rosenberg is a VP at Eminem's Shady Records, to which 50 Cent is signed. Sources say the label is expected to release the "Locked and Loaded" soundtrack.
Since this movie is a semi-autobiography, I guess it's going to involve a lot of him telling on other cats when he gets detained by the police. A lot of cats got locked up for a long time from his antics.
Inside peanut butter; outside jelly,
Seven days of the week; seven different Chevys,
Black SS with the top blowed off,
Messing with them boys getcha top blowed off.
Irish director Jim Sheridan (In America) has signed on to direct rapper 50 Cent in "Locked and Loaded", the rags to riches story of an orphan-cum-music artist.
The bold pairing of a poetic filmmaker with an abrasive singer brings to mind the acclaimed semi-autobiographical drama "8 Mile", in which Curtis Hanson directed rap artist Eminem in his debut role.
"Locked and Loaded" will similarly be based on 50 Cent's turbulent life, from days of crime and near-fatal shootings to his transformation as one of the best-selling rappers in the music industry.
Paramount Pictures and MTV Films are producing the drama, with Terence Winter (TV's The Sopranos) on board to pen the script.
50 Cent's upcoming movie, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," has sparked outrage among Los Angeles community leaders, who are repulsed by the gun theme in advertisements for the film.
Billboards, posters and other ads for the movie depict the rapper brandishing two handguns as a promotion for the movie, which is based loosely on the star's real-life rise to musical success from the streets of New York City.
Web site AllHipHop.com reports the campaign has led to a call for a boycott from a number of organizations.
Najee Ali of Project Islamic Hope, says, "Gun violence is one of the leading causes of death for young black males in South Central Los Angeles and across urban America. It's irresponsible for Paramount Pictures to promote and market a movie that glorifies carrying guns.
"Guns are weapons of mass destruction that are used to kill people. We demand that Paramount Pictures remove these negative images of death and destruction, images that our young children are influenced by."
The group is demanding that the ads showing weapons be immediately pulled from the marketplace.
Representatives for Paramount have yet to comment.
The distributor of rapper 50 Cent's new film has said it is removing posters advertising the film after complaints they glorify gun violence.
Posters for Get Rich or Die Tryin' show 50 Cent holding a gun in his left hand and a microphone the other.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich wrote to Paramount Pictures urging them to take down the posters.
The company said it had taken down one poster near a Los Angeles nursery school, and planned to remove more.
Protest rally
Mr Antonovich sent a letter to Paramount chairman Brad Grey asking him to remove the billboards, starting with one outside a school in Altadena, a suburb north of Los Angeles. "This billboard conveys to the students a disturbing message actively promoting gun violence, criminal behaviour and gang affiliation," he wrote.
Activists in the Los Angeles neighbourhood of Hyde Park - an area affected by gang violence - staged a rally earlier in the week calling on Paramount to remove a billboard next to the pre-school.
The sign was taken down the next day and a Paramount spokeswoman said more would follow.
Activists staged a rally calling for the billboards to be removed
Najee Ali, who organised the protest, welcomed Paramount's response as a "David versus Goliath" victory.
"We have a community group going up against a major studio, and they backed down," he said.
"So everyone was happy with Paramount Pictures, and we commend them for showing corporate responsibility."
Get Rich or Die Tryin', which is due to open in the US on 9 November, stars 50 Cent - real name Curtis Jackson - as a drug dealer who turns his back on crime to pursue his true passion, rap music.
The film, directed by Jim Sheridan, mirrors the real life of Jackson, who was jailed for selling drugs before finding fame. Get Rich or Die Tryin' is named after his first hit album, which was released in 2002.
09-22-2004 09:00 AM
