Superstar rapper Cardi B has been cast in her first leading role in the comedy Assisted Living for Paramount Pictures. After winning the Best Rap Album Grammy award for her 2018 album Invasion of Privacy, Cardi B made her feature film debut in 2019’s Hustlers alongside Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu in a small but memorable role as the stripper Diamond. She also stars in the latest installment of the “Fast & Furious” franchise, F9.
According to Variety, the movie is a “raucous comedy with tremendous heart.” Based on an original spec script by This Is Us writer Kay Oyegun, Assisted Living follows a small-time criminal, Amber (Cardi B). She finds herself in a difficult situation after a heist does not go according to plan. Looking to evade the police and her former crew, Amber disguises herself as an elderly woman and seeks refugee in her estranged grandmother’s nursing home. Understandably so, Assisted Living is drawing comparisons to classic comedies like Mrs. Doubtfire, Sister Act, and Tootsie.
After a fierce bidding war in the spring of 2019, Paramount Pictures won the rights to the screenplay. While the film does not yet have a director, Temple Hill and Stephen Love are set to produce. With Cardi B on board, Assisted Living will undoubtedly pack a lot of star power, but audiences have yet to see how she will fare in a leading role. While the film does boast a fairly intriguing premise, it may risk being derivative of past comedies revolving around a disguised lead character.
Source: Variety