Of all the odd things horror films are sometimes known for, one often-overlooked tradition is the odd pattern of rappers facing off against some of genre cinema's most iconic villains. From Busta Rhymes and LL Cool J attempting to throw down with Halloween's Michael Myers to Redman tangling with murderous doll Chucky to Ice T battling the Leprechaun, there is a surprising list of instances of rappers doing battle with monsters in modern movie history.
Possibly set to be the latest entry on that eclectic list is Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, who has been dropping hints as of late that he'll be joining the cast of Shane Black's upcoming Predator reboot. During a recent radio interview on Sirius XM's Shade 45 (via Bloody Disgusting), Jackson was asked about upcoming projects, and he said, "I’ll be doing some new feature films and stuff like that too. I’ll do Predator." He later reiterated his claim during a second interview with Miami's 99 Jamz UnCensored, stating, "I’m working on some new projects. You heard of the movie Predator? I might be a part of that project this summer."
While there has yet to be any official confirmation or denial of 50 Cent's claims by either Black or Predator production studio 20th Century Fox, it's difficult to imagine that the rapper/actor would be going around the radio circuit talking about working on the film without at least some contact having been made. Also, Jackson is no stranger to Hollywood, having carved a fairly successful side career on both the big and small screens since his debut in the quasi-biopic Get Rich or Die Tryin'.
Jackson currently produces and appears on the acclaimed Starz series Power, and has worked on films like Righteous Kill, Spy, and Schwarzenegger/Stallone team-up actioner Escape Plan. That last job may be the most relevant to the story at hand, as it's well known that Black met up with original Predator hero Schwarzenegger awhile back to discuss a possible return to the franchise. While it's still not one hundred percent clear whether the legendary cinematic badass will indeed battle the universe's ultimate hunter once again, it's not too difficult to imagine Arnold putting in a good word for his former co-star.
At this point, very little is known about the actual plot of the Predator reboot, outside of the fact that Black was given the go-ahead to expand the franchise's world and the increased blockbuster-level budget to make that ambition feasible. It's also been established that Black and co-screenwriter Fred Dekker intend the film to be more of a loose sequel to the existing Predator installments in the style of, say, a Jurassic World than an outright continuity reset, meaning that a return of Arnold's Dutch character from the original remains within the realm of possibility. Where 50 Cent ends up slotting into the mix is anyone's guess, although it's safe to say that the Predator will not be down with partying like it's his birthday.
The Predator opens in U.S. theaters on March 2, 2018.
Source: Shade 45, 99 Jamz UnCensored (via Bloody Disgusting)