With Wanted opening this week, starring rapper Common opposite Angelina Jolie (and, I'm happy to see, getting some awesome reviews, making it one of the few movies I may pay to see just for the heck of it), we thought it would be a good time to revisit seven other rappers who've attempted the treacherous transition from rap artist to movie star.

What makes film producers look to rap stars when casting for the big screen? Well, aside from the built-in audience that comes from casting a popular rap performer in a movie role, rappers have to have stage presence to perform, and that charisma and personality can come across well on a movie theater screen. Here are seven of them; let me know which of your favorite rappers I missed. (And before any of you Outkast fans get all worked up: they are hip-hop, not rap, and this post was for the rappers; Outkast is one of my absolute favorite bands, though, and Andre Benjamin in particular, I consider enormously talented. I'll do a whole column on Outkast and what they're up to movie-wise in the near future, promise.)

1. Will Smith -- Smith charmed TV audiences as a teenager in his popular TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air before hitting it big on the silver screen with the triple-whammy of Bad Boys (1995), Independence Day (1996), and Men in Black (1997). Since then, more hits have followed, and Smith and his wife, actress Jada Pinkett-Smith, have become Hollywood royalty; Smith's solid marriage and commitment to his family have earned him a reputation as one of Hollywood's genuine "nice guys," to boot. Smith is one rapper who successfully made the transition from singer to big-name actor, largely due to his charm, charisma and natural talent on the screen. His latest film, Hancock, opens July 2.

As a general rule, I don't have a problem with sequels. Conventional wisdom usually dictates that the sequel will fail to live up to the original -- and yes, I know Godfather Part 2 and The Empire Strikes Back don't count -- but I'm always game for a re-visit if it's done right (I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth sequel, The Golden Age). But direct-to-DVD sequels are another matter.

It now looks like Warner Bros. is out to ruin yet another fond cinematic memory from my youth with a crappy direct-to-DVD sequel. No sooner did we get the announcement that Warner Bros. was making Lost Boys 2, when Moviehole.net reported that a sequel to the 1991 crime flick New Jack City had also been given the go-ahead. Starring Wesley Snipes, Mario Van Peebles, and a pre-SVU Ice-T, the film was a Scarface of the 90's set against the crack epidemic. If you haven't seen it, I recommend picking it up, just for the high-top fades alone. Phillip B. Goldfine (Disturbing Behavior) is producing, but there is no definite word on whether any of the original cast will return. There have been rumors of a sequel before, but nothing has ever materialized until now. Since the film seems destined for the discount bin, I'm thinking Snipes would only come back if his income tax payments get a little too steep.

Steve Anderson's feature-length documentary Fuck sports an impressive, wildly diverse cast: Thanks to the magic of editing, Pat Boone appears alongside Chuck D and Billy Connolly, and Sam Donaldson, Janeane Garofalo, Bill Maher, Miss Manners and Ron Jeremy -- among copious others -- also make appearances. All are on hand, presumably, because they speak from a position of authority on the film's title word. In addition to the actors, newsmen, comics, porn stars and politics, the film also features a handful of "cunning linguists," who provide periodic infusions of what passes for academic commentary. Token academics aside, however, the film is little more than a flimsy excuse -- an entertaining excuse, mind you, but an excuse nevertheless -- to shout "FUCK!" in a crowded movie theater, and to mock the conservatives Anderson knows won't see his movie.

Less focused than its title and press would have us believe, Fuck is a superficial examination of obscenity in America. It revolves around the word in question, but branches out generously into subjects like FCC regulation, the impact of Lenny Bruce and George Carlin, and the horror of Janet Jackson's dreaded right boob. Most of the movie is made up of sound-bite friendly talking heads interviews which, because they take place against a black background, can create the weak illusion that all the subjects are in the same room. Thus, Anderson can cleverly edit his interviews with Miss Manners and Ron Jeremy into one another, vaguely suggesting at one point that she's been driven from the room by the power of his dirty words. (Nothing of the sort happened, of course, but it's always fun to mock Miss Manners, right? And oh, that naughty Ron Jeremy!)

But will it be animated? That is what I'm wondering regarding the possibility of a feature film based on the virtual band The Gorillaz. Created by Blur front man Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, The Gorillaz is made up of cartoon characters, which will appear in their own movie according to something Albarn hinted at in Uncut magazine. And not only did he mention the movie, he claimed that Terry Gilliam was involved. Whether this means that Gilliam will be directing is unclear, but considering the Tideland director's origins in animation, he might be perfectly suited for the task.

Or will it be live-action? Though a live-action film could be more costly and more time-consuming (in which case it wouldn't be what Film Ick thinks is Gilliam's "I can do it in six weeks, just knock it out," project he's been talking about), it wouldn't be the first of Hewlett's cartoons to be fleshed out. The 1995 film Tank Girl was based on his and Alan Martin's comics. Still, I'm not sure many investors would be interested in gambling with this production -- though I would love to see Del tha Funkee Homosapien follow in Ice-T's footsteps and appear in some ridiculous makeup.

Considering Albarn also stated that the "band" is no longer making pop music, there's another question as to what direction the film will go in, if not musical. Hopefully somebody will come forward with some answers to all these questions of mine very soon. I can't wait to hear about more specific details.

More on Gilliam's future projects:

Terry Gilliam is Hoping for Good Omens

Terry Gilliam to Direct Potter?

Gilliam Does Dick

Is Terry Gilliam Going Back to His Don Quixote Movie?

[via JoBlo.com]