Movies

Yasiin Bey Will Play Jazz Legend Thelonious Monk In An Upcoming Biopic

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On top of his very successful career in hip-hop, Yasiin Bey, who previously went by Mos Def, has also had a thriving acting career. He appeared in movies, sitcoms, and Broadway shows as a child, and his acting career continued through his hip-hop days and after retirement from the music industry. For his latest role, Bey will play jazz legend Thelonious Monk in an upcoming biopic. The film is simply titled Thelonious and it will start shooting next summer.

Bey — who will be doing his first movie since the 2016 French drama Tour De France — shared a statement about the film to Rolling Stone, and it seemed to find him already in character. “A leader.A Lord.A shape in space.A man from a community of devotion who lives a simple life distant from society,” he said in an email to the publication. “The adjectives.can never be nouns.Love.is a verb.The Future has already happened.And Forever.is a current event.Jupiter and team.”

The film’s writer-producer Peter Lord Moreland also explained why he thinks Bey is perfect for the role. “Yasiin lives his life with a vibe not easily found in Hollywood, because he’s not Hollywood, point blank,” he said. “His values and moral compass are intentional and focused on what really matters. Everyone who knows his body of work has seen him boldly transform himself from his music to the Broadway stage, the silver screen and beyond.” He added, “When he looked at me and said, ‘I am Thelonious,’ I knew we had found him.”

A director or other stars for Thelonious have not been revealed yet.

Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, And Swizz Beatz’s Sons Are All Starring In A Movie Together

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Dr. Dre‘s son Curtis Young has reportedly landed a role in the new film Charge It To The Game. He’ll apparently also be composing original music for the film.

According to TMZ, who spoke to Young, Charge It To The Game is a coming-of-age story about four best friends with Young playing “Kong,” one of the friend’s older brothers. And, making it a veritable who’s-who of famous rappers’ offspring, Snoop Dogg‘s son Julian Broadus is also in the movie, playing Kong’s younger brother, and Swiss Beatz‘s son is reportedly making his acting debut as one of the four friends (plus scoring the film with Young).

“This is my first movie and I wanted to get into acting… I always loved the art,” Young told TMZ. “It’s just an art form I’ve always loved. I’m playing a role, Kong, which is a gentleman named Hardtime — it’s Julian Broadus, which is Snoop’s son — I’m playing his older brother. So, I’ve been reading the script, just preparing, getting motivated, behind it and getting engaged with it.”

Talking about scoring the film, Young said, “I was asked and I’m honored to score the film and I believe they just yesterday announced that note. Swizz Beatz’s son is gonna be scoring it with me, so I’m just honored to have this opportunity.”

Young also offered an update on Dre’s health since his father suffered a brain aneurysm earlier this year. “My pops is healing,” he said. “He appreciates me for what I’m doing and doing on my own… It’s been a while since I had an opportunity like this to really step out of that shadow, but at the same time show respect and understand that people came before me.”

Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, And Swizz Beatz’s Sons Are All Starring In A Movie Together

by
Getty Image

Dr. Dre‘s son Curtis Young has reportedly landed a role in the new film Charge It To The Game. He’ll apparently also be composing original music for the film.

According to TMZ, who spoke to Young, Charge It To The Game is a coming-of-age story about four best friends with Young playing “Kong,” one of the friend’s older brothers. And, making it a veritable who’s-who of famous rappers’ offspring, Snoop Dogg‘s son Julian Broadus is also in the movie, playing Kong’s younger brother, and Swiss Beatz‘s son is reportedly making his acting debut as one of the four friends (plus scoring the film with Young).

“This is my first movie and I wanted to get into acting… I always loved the art,” Young told TMZ. “It’s just an art form I’ve always loved. I’m playing a role, Kong, which is a gentleman named Hardtime — it’s Julian Broadus, which is Snoop’s son — I’m playing his older brother. So, I’ve been reading the script, just preparing, getting motivated, behind it and getting engaged with it.”

Talking about scoring the film, Young said, “I was asked and I’m honored to score the film and I believe they just yesterday announced that note. Swizz Beatz’s son is gonna be scoring it with me, so I’m just honored to have this opportunity.”

Young also offered an update on Dre’s health since his father suffered a brain aneurysm earlier this year. “My pops is healing,” he said. “He appreciates me for what I’m doing and doing on my own… It’s been a while since I had an opportunity like this to really step out of that shadow, but at the same time show respect and understand that people came before me.”

Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, And Swizz Beatz’s Sons Are All Starring In A Movie Together

by
Getty Image

Dr. Dre‘s son Curtis Young has reportedly landed a role in the new film Charge It To The Game. He’ll apparently also be composing original music for the film.

According to TMZ, who spoke to Young, Charge It To The Game is a coming-of-age story about four best friends with Young playing “Kong,” one of the friend’s older brothers. And, making it a veritable who’s-who of famous rappers’ offspring, Snoop Dogg‘s son Julian Broadus is also in the movie, playing Kong’s younger brother, and Swiss Beatz‘s son is reportedly making his acting debut as one of the four friends (plus scoring the film with Young).

“This is my first movie and I wanted to get into acting… I always loved the art,” Young told TMZ. “It’s just an art form I’ve always loved. I’m playing a role, Kong, which is a gentleman named Hardtime — it’s Julian Broadus, which is Snoop’s son — I’m playing his older brother. So, I’ve been reading the script, just preparing, getting motivated, behind it and getting engaged with it.”

Talking about scoring the film, Young said, “I was asked and I’m honored to score the film and I believe they just yesterday announced that note. Swizz Beatz’s son is gonna be scoring it with me, so I’m just honored to have this opportunity.”

Young also offered an update on Dre’s health since his father suffered a brain aneurysm earlier this year. “My pops is healing,” he said. “He appreciates me for what I’m doing and doing on my own… It’s been a while since I had an opportunity like this to really step out of that shadow, but at the same time show respect and understand that people came before me.”

Alicia Keys’ New Netflix Film Is Getting Roasted On Twitter For Being A Little Too Realistic

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Resort To Love, a new Netflix movie coming out this month produced by Alicia Keys, is garnering a lot of attention on Twitter today. Unfortunately for her, the buzz consists less of excitement to see the movie than it does fans trolling it for its premise. The film, which stars Keys’ fellow 2000s pop fixture, Christina Milian, as a singer who gets booked for her ex’s wedding and winds up romancing him away from his new fiancee, is reminding fans of Keys’ own affair with Swizz Beatz, who divorced his wife Mashonda and married Keys the same month in 2010.

Love can be messy, sure, but the film’s plot is hitting a little close to home for some fans, prompting a roast session of trend-worthy proportions. The jokes came flying at breakneck speed to point out the obvious similarities between Keys’ real-life love story and the one that she produced, which apparently asks viewers to sympathize with the would-be homewrecker’s point of view. Granted, the movie still isn’t out yet so we don’t know that this is actually what happens in it, so maybe it deserves the benefit of the doubt.

That, however, would be entirely too reasonable and not what we’re here for today. Today, we are going to get these jokes off. Check out the film’s trailer above and more hilarious reactions below.

Ice Cube Is Reportedly At Odds With Warner Bros. Over A ‘Friday’ Sequel

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Ice Cube‘s Friday series is a classic, but the chances of getting another film in the series is apparently in doubt due to a dispute between the multi-hyphenate and the studio behind the series.

According to a Wall Street Journal story detailing the dispute, Ice Cube apparently wants Warners to surrender the rights to the Friday series as well as All About The Benjamins and The Players Club, two other films he made with the studio.

According to letters between the parties, Warner Bros. doesn’t intend to do this, instead blaming Ice Cube for dragging his feet on a new movie with the studio.

Warner Bros. replied, calling the demand “extortionate” and saying it won’t release rights to the valuable franchise or any other Ice Cube movies, according to the correspondence.

One letter from Ice Cube’s lawyer said the studio has been excessive in its feedback notes on the scripts Ice Cube wrote for the latest “Friday” and contends Warner Bros. has been a “poor steward” for the franchise. “These guys don’t get me, and I don’t get them,” Ice Cube said in an interview.

The report indicates that Cube’s other projects, such as the Big 3 basketball league, is distracting him from the next installment in the series, titled Last Friday. Meanwhile, the rapper and actor says potential discrimination in allocating resources is part of his issues with Warners.

In one letter, Ice Cube’s representative wrote that movies he has done for the studio “are habitually underfunded in comparison with projects featuring white casts and creative teams.” The correspondence points to other Ice Cube films he says weren’t well supported; it doesn’t offer specific comparisons to projects from other filmmakers.

Warner Bros. denies it has discriminated against Ice Cube or that it gave short shrift to any of his projects. In a letter sent in May to Ice Cube’s lawyer Bryan Freedman, the studio said the complaints are “grounded in a libelous set of knowing falsehoods.”

The disagreement between the two sides seems serious, and also doesn’t seem likely to be resolved anytime soon. Which means a sequel to Friday, which came out in 1995, isn’t on the horizon anytime soon. As the report noted, an agreement to make a new Friday movie was first signed in 2012. The story details some plot details the studio objected to, and the pushback that Cube gave about the film’s direction.

It’s all certainly been a long time coming, but fans are likely to have to wait even longer before any real progress is made on on Last Friday.

[via Wall Street Journal]

David Geffen Is Donating $150 Million To Yale So Drama Students Can Attend Tuition-Free

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In addition to being a giant in the entertainment world, mega-magnate David Geffen—founder of DreamWorks, Geffen Records, Asylum Records, and more—is equally well known for his philanthropic efforts. Particularly when it comes to the arts and investing in the talent of the future, as evidenced by premier cultural centers like UCLA’s Geffen Playhouse and Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall.

While UCLA has been the recipient of hundreds of millions of Geffen’s dollars over the years, he’s now sending some of that same generosity to the east coast with a $150 million donation to the Yale School of Drama, which Deadline reports will allow approximately 200 students per year to attend the prestigious training ground—tuition-free.

“By reducing the debt burden of the average student, we create more resilient artists and managers who are able to make braver artistic choices—they’re able to take that downtown play and they don’t have to have a career selling real estate on the side,” said drama school dean James Bundy. “Not every artist is going to break through at the age of 25 or 26 or 27. Certain kinds of careers take time to build, and entering the professions with less debt is going to make for more interesting and more resounding choices in the long run.”

Yale offers one of the most competitive drama schools in the world and its alumni include the best of the best: Meryl Streep, Paul Newman, Frances McDormand, Angela Bassett, Tony Shalhoub, Patricia Clarkson, and Lupita Nyong’o are just some of the school’s acting alumni. But its programs include design, directing, and playwrighting, too, so they’ve got plenty of past students to boast about behind the camera and stage scenes, too.

Deadline reports that Geffen’s gift is the largest donation in the history of American theater. Appropriately, the school will now be renamed the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University.

(Via Deadline)

Cardi B’s Role In ‘F9’ Will Carry Over To Future Sequels, According To Vin Diesel

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Cardi B’s role in F9 may be bigger than anyone previously expected if Vin Diesel’s comments in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight are to be believed. Diesel, the series’ undisputed center, told ET that Leysa, Cardi’s character in the latest installment of the franchise, has a storyline that could continue for another two movies in the series.

Diesel confirmed that the next two movies will be the franchise’s finale, and Cardi’s role will be much more than just a cameo. “We are very much excited to evolve her character and to expand it to the finale,” he said. “She made it just in time. She came in Fast 9 just in time.”

In a separate statement, the film’s director Justin Lin had plenty of nice things to say about the newest cast member. “I love Cardi,” he gushed. “I mean, it’s amazing she showed up and within a minute she’s part of the family. And I love how when I got together with her, her and Vin were talking about the character because she’s actually really embedded into the overall universe, she’s been around for a long time and this is just the first time we are seeing her, so I’m really excited to explore that character of her. I’ll work with her any day.”

You can check out Cardi’s role in F9 this Friday, June 25.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Artists On The ‘Space Jam’ Soundtrack Show Their Hoop Skills In A Fun Reveal Video

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When the original Space Jam premiered in 1996 one of the elements that made it so iconic for kids of the era was its accompanying soundtrack, which is widely regarded as one of the best-produced film soundtracks of all time. Its eclectic collection of hip-hop, R&B, and pop artists was a hit, highlighting the increasing popularity of rap and its influence over the basketball world. So, naturally, for LeBron James’ sequel, Space Jam: A New Legacy, the bar is rather high — both for the film itself and for its soundtrack, which will likely be instantly compared to its groundbreaking predecessor.

Today, exactly one month before the film’s release — the soundtrack drops one week before — Warner Bros. pictures introduced the soundtrack’s “starting lineup” with a fun reveal video showing which of today’s stars have earned placement on what will undoubtedly be one of the more listened to soundtracks of the year. The video also shows off each star’s relative level of hoop skills and let’s just say it’s a good thing LeBron has the Looney Tunes on his team because some of these passes are looking rough.

Of course, stars like 24kGoldn, Aminé, Anthony Ramos, Big Freedia, Brockhampton, Chance The Rapper, Cordae, Duckwrth, G-Eazy, John Legend, Jonas Brothers, Joyner Lucas, Kash Doll, Kirk Franklin, Leon Bridges, Lil Baby, Lil Tecca, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, P-Lo, Saint JHN, Salt-N-Pepa, Saweetie, Symba, and White Dave are here to rap or sing and not hoop — although Dame D.O.L.L.A. is in there, pulling double duty as he also plays one of the villainous Goon Squad players in the movie.

The New Legacy soundtrack is due 7/9 via Republic Records and WB Watertower Music. The film itself hits theaters 7/16.

Watch the reveal video above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Cardi B Gushes Over Her ‘Fast & Furious 9’ Character: ‘She’s Just That B*tch’

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The latest movie in the Fast & Furious franchise, F9 (aka Fast & Furious 9), is set to his theaters in the US on June 25. Cardi B landed a role in the film, and ahead of its theatrical release, she talked about her character (Leysa) and how she came to be involved with the movie.

In a video, she said, “Vin Diesel reached out, and he was talking about a role. I’m like, ‘It’s freakin’ Fast & Furious. Get me there, put me on a plane!’ I like the fact that I’m representing such a powerful, strong woman. She’s just that bitch [laughs]. […] I remember when I saw Ludacris in Fast & The Furious, […] then to see Don Omar, it makes the hood have hope. Being around Vin, he’s just so nice, so dope. He makes you feel so comfortable. I’m just so excited.”

She also tweeted today about her excitement to see the movie, writing, “I can’t wait to watch Fast and furious 9 .I haven’t seen my scenes yet! That’s the best part about it thooo watching the movie then you see yourself coming in.I’m sooo proud of myself. GOD IS GOOD ! Can I get a ALL THE TIME ? !!!!”

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.