50 Cent to star in film adaptation of Dean Koontz novel 'Odd Thomas'

 

As he continues honing his chops on the big screen, 50 Cent is adding an adaptation of a Dean Koontz classic to his resume. The rapper, born Curtis Jackson, announced Wednesday that he had signed on to join director Stephen Sommers’ interpretation of the bestselling novel “Odd Thomas,” according to Variety. 

Anton Yelchin, who recently appeared with Mel Gibson in “The Beaver,” stars as a clairvoyant short-order cook who encounters a mysterious man with a link to dark forces. Staying close to his hip-hop roots, Jackson plays Shamus Cocobolo, a blind deejay who helps Yelchin, the titular hero, uncover a satanic plot in this supernatural thriller.

The film also costars Addison Timlin, Willem Dafoe, Patton Oswalt, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Nico Tortorella. "Odd Thomas" is scheduled to start production soon in Santa Fe, N.M.

The film comes as an unexpected supernatural surprise in Jackson’s growing list of action capers. The Queens-born rapper recently wrapped filming on the heist caper “Setup,” starring Bruce Willis and Ryan Phillippe. Currently, Jackson is filming “Freelancers” with Robert De Niro and Forest Whitaker. As if that weren’t enough, he’ll also get a second helping of Willis when he reteams with him on the action flick “Fire With Fire.”

In between dodging explosions, gunfire and devilish calamity, it’s a wonder 50 has had time to put the finishing touches on his anticipated forthcoming album. According to BET, the fifth studio effort -- titled "Black Magic" -- will be done in time for summer. We’ll see if it turns out to be just as action-packed as his acting career.

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50 Cent talks losing weight, the state of the industry and his many rivalries

50 Cent sheds more than 50 pounds

Pop & Hiss music blog

-- Nate Jackson

Photo: 50 Cent   Credit: Jim Cooper

50 Cent talks losing weight, the state of the industry and his many rivalries

50 Cent is no longer the future. The commercial rap world that he owned from 2003 to 2007 has shifted from platinum-plated gangsta’ archetypes to sad sack skinny-jeaned emotionalism. Curtis Jackson was the swaggering villain with an impeccable pop sensibility and the street cred to get away with repeatedly writing awkward analogies equating genitals with candy.

But Kanye West’s “808s & Heartbreak” ushered in a paradigm shift, with eclectic and ultra-sensitive types emerging as avatars for kids weaned on iPods and Internet file sharing. Considering that the only constant in youth culture is that the current generation will automatically repudiate the previous one, 50’s muscle-bound menace seems decidedly out of vogue — which would ostensibly explain the recently surfaced photos of his gaunt physique, done not to match his frail younger peers, but to play a cancer patient in “Things Fall Apart.”

Of course, 50 Cent is well aware of the pop world’s constant undulations. An astute industry observer, the Queens-raised rapper has kept an unusually low profile since the release of November’s “Before I Self Destruct,” plotting his next move and filming what he hopes to be his most notable cinematic turn yet. And though his fourth album marked his commercial nadir (with first-week sales of 160,000), it was his strongest effort since 2003’s “Get Rich or Die Tryin'.” Besides, having long since diversified his assets, it’s unlikely that he needed the record royalties to pay the mortgage on his still-unsold 50-plus-room mansion.

An entrepreneur who reportedly reaped a nine-figure sum from the sale of Vitamin Water, a co-author of two books (“The Ski Mask Way” and “The 50th Law”), and a raconteur capable of creating headlines with every interview, 50 remains one of the game’s biggest stars. Accompanied by a live band, "The Invitation," his month-long, 19-date tour stops tonight at Club Nokia. In advance of the performance, the ruthlessly candid rapper spoke with Pop & Hiss about his acting career, the state of the industry and whatever happened to his beef with Kanye West.

How difficult was it to lose that much weight in such a short amount of time and how did you sustain that type of focus?

It was pretty tough. The role itself helped me sustain my focus. It was a part that was really relevant to me, because when I was growing up one of my close friends died of cancer. The problem was that I was traveling for a UK tour when I was making the transformation, so it was really hard to do.

What was your daily routine like?

I’d wake up and have this power ice with electrolytes with vitamin C and then I’d run, then I’d go back to my hotel room and go to sleep. I wouldn’t wake up until the show. I was sleeping a lot more than usual.