50 Cent 'Locks' Down Film Debut
1 hour, 29 minutes ago
By Carla Hay
NEW YORK (Billboard) - Rapper 50 Cent
will make his film debut in the semi-autobiographical "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 is expected in theaters in 2005 or 2006.
The project will be shepherded by Interscope Geffen A&M chairman/CEO Jimmy Iovine and Eminem (news - web sites) manager Paul Rosenberg, who have inked a first-look feature film deal with Paramount Pictures and MTV Films.
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.
Reuters/Billboard