ja rule Tagged Articles at Cinematical

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.

When you're compelled (by money and ravenous fans) to churn out another Saw movie every single year, you don't have much time to a) write a script, b) hire actors and c) keep everything a big fat secret. Case in point: It's been widely mumbled that David Hackl (production designer on Saw 2 and Saw 3) would be the one settling into the director's chair for Saw 4, and that seems a pretty good move: Get some fresh blood in there, but have it come from someone already inside the Saw family. (Plus it's probably pretty difficult to get an established director who can take a gig and start shooting "like, next month?")

And now comes additional news. IGN Movies is reporting that Ja Rule will appear in Saw 4, but only in the first scene. (And we all know what that means!) Additionally, some guy who allegedly read the Saw 4 script (which we believe was written by Feast scribes Marcus Dunston and Tom Fenton) claims that Angus MacFadyen's character plays an important role -- but Angus Mac hasn't technically signed on for the sequel at this time.

Looks like production is scheduled to begin next month in Toronto, so we should have a lot more information within the next few weeks. In the meantime we can all sit down and enjoy our Saw 3 Unrated Version DVDs, a platter that's presently poised atop the DVD sales AND rental charts. (Interesting note: Not only was Saw 3 the top-selling DVD last week, but its arrival gave Saw and Saw 2 fresh life; they're both back on the Top 20 sales chart this week!)

To be honest, I think when most people heard that Mischa Barton had left The OC, everyone was waiting for her career to take the inevitable nosedive. I'm guessing being lumped in with the Paris Hilton and Brandon Davis party crowd probably didn't help much in the respectability department either. There had been rumors that Mischa's character had been killed off due to her bad-mouthing of the show and general naughty behavior. Well, it's all water under the bridge now since the teen soap has gotten the axe, and Barton has managed to set up several film roles for 2007.

Variety reports that Barton is set to star in the indie drama Don't Fade Away for first-time director Luke Kasdan (nephew of famed writer-director Lawrence Kasdan). Kasdan's drama stars Ryan Kwanten and Barton as a Manhattan couple that are forced to deal with a father's illness. Rounding out the cast is the unlikely combination of Ja Rule and Beau Bridges. Since I never consistently watched The OC and I've tried to remain blissfully ignorant when it comes to the "Kiddie Table" of Hollywood gossip, I'll have to wait to see if Barton can transform herself into a leading lady ... or whether High School drama and hair tossing are the sum total of her talents.

[via Movie Web]