Get Rich or Die Tryin

With GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN', rapper Curtis 50 Cent Jackson follows in the footsteps of his musical counterpart, Eminem (8 MILE), by giving movie stardom a shot. Directed by Jim Sheridan (IN AMERICA, MY LEFT FOOT) and written by Terence Winter, the film tells a fictionalised version of 50 Cent's own troubled life story. Marcus is a quiet young man who adores his loving mother (Serena Reeder). But after she is brutally murdered in an apparent drug deal gone wrong, Marcus heads down the wrong road himself. He abandons high school to sell drugs for local kingpin Levar (Bill Duke) and his underling, Majestic (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). Years later, when he reunites with his childhood sweetheart (Joy Bryant) and is thrown in jail, Marcus decides to leave drug selling behind in order to fulfill his lifelong dream of becoming a rapper. Unfortunately, Majestic doesn't want to let him go, resulting in a tragedy that might destroy his life forever. Much like Curtis Hanson with 8 MILE, Sheridan seems an unlikely choice to direct an urban drama about the blossoming of a gangsta rapper. But that is exactly what makes his film so refreshing. Photographed with a gritty tenderness by Declan Quinn and featuring another scene-stealing turn from Terrence Howard, GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN' is equal parts social commentary, crime thriller, and heartfelt drama.

Soundtrack

Home of the Brave

Four American soldiers (Samuel L. Jackson, Jessica Biel, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson) nearing the end of their tours of duty in Iraq are sent on one final humanitarian mission to bring medical supplies to a remote Iraqi village. The unit is ambushed and takes heavy losses. The surviving troops suffer both physical and psychological injuries. Now, as they return to the United States, four soldiers must face memories of the past as they look towards the future and return to civilian life.

New Orleans

50 Cent is expected to be cast in the role of a New Orleans police officer opposite Robert Deniro in an upcoming film entitled New Orleans, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film, set in post-Katrina New Orleans, revolves around De Niro’s character, a cop who discovers that his partner who he previously believed died in the hurricane, was actually murdered. The main character and his new partner, who will be played by 50, embark on a quest to solve the crime and discover a pattern of police corruption along the way. The film was originally set in Los Angeles, but was moved to New Orleans following the events of Hurricane Katrina.

The Dance

Universal Pictures has set Nicolas Cage and 50 Cent to star in The Dance, a film based on the life of prison boxing coach Billy "The Kid" Roth, reports Variety.

The project is based on a 2003 documentary directed by John Darling Haynes and produced by Eric Geadelmann. Cage and Norm Golightly executive produced the documentary through their Saturn Films production company with an eye to developing a feature project based around Roth.

Once a successful prizefighter, Roth has spent more than 40 years as a volunteer boxing coach in Louisiana state prisons.

Cage will play Roth, while 50 Cent will play an inmate the coach believes has the talent to be a contender -- the only hindrance being that he's serving a life sentence.

Neil Tolkin (The Emperor's Club) will write the script.