John Singleton has been tapped by Twentieth Century Fox to remake the hit 1980's TV series The A-Team.
According to Variety, Singleton will direct the action-adventure film that will bring characters Col. Hannibal Smith, Capt. H.M. Murdoc, Sgt. B.A.Baracus, and Lt. Face Peck to the bigscreen. Written by Michael Brandt and Derek Hass (Wanted, 3:10 to Yuma), the new version stays true to the original script of the TV series - which aired from 1983-1987 - as Hannibal and his former special-forces soldiers were set up for a crime they didn't commit.
In a twist, instead of the soldiers being veterans of the Vietnam War, the updated version will portray The A-Team as a group of Iraq War veterans who look to clear their name with the U.S. military, who suspect the four men of committing a crime for which they were framed.
Although, casting hasn't been announced, according to IMDB.com, it is rumored that rapper/actor Ice Cube will potential play the role of Sgt. B.A. Baracus and Emmy Award winning actor Woody Harrelson as Capt. H.M. Murdock.
The A-Team is set to hit theatres on June 12, 2009.
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In related news, according to IMDB.com, Singelton is also set to direct the Marvel comic action book adaptation of black superhero, Luke Cage.
Starring singer turned actor, Tyrese as Luke Cage, the cinematic action crime drama, features Cage as a former gang member who is framed for a crime he didn't commit. While incarcerated, Cage volunteers for a medical experiment that goes awry, giving him super strength and bulletproof skin. Using his powers, Cage escapes and becomes a hero for hire.
Luke Cage is slated for release sometime in 2009.
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The LA Times reporter who wrote a story alleging that Sean “Diddy” Combs and Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace orchestrated a nearly fatal shooting of Tupac Shakur is standing his ground.
Utilizing FBI testimony and anonymous firsthand accounts, Chuck Phillips’ article tells a story of how the two—along with Czar Records founder Jimmy Rosemond—planned the shooting at New York’s Quad Studios to, according to MTV, “punish Shakur for disrespecting them and rejecting their business overtures and, not incidentally, to curry favor with Combs.”
Diddy has dismissed the story, saying that him and B.I.G. had no knowledge of the attack, and that “It is a complete lie to suggest that there was any involvement by Biggie or myself.” He continued, “I am shocked that the Los Angeles Times would be so irresponsible as to publish such a baseless and completely untrue story."
But MTV reports that in an online chat, Phillips defended his article, and reiterates points made in a previous piece he wrote that says Biggie and Diddy were in Vegas at the time of Tupac’s murder in the same city.
Phillips said that it hasn’t been proven that Biggie wasn’t in Vegas, because documents that were supposed to prove he was in New York have either been unreleased or unverified.
“I have since learned that federal officials conducted interviews in Las Vegas to determine whether Wallace was present,” he said. “My sources were there and say he and other east coast figures were in Las Vegas on the night the Southside Crips killed Tupac."
Phillips also said that he wasn’t originally pursuing the Quad Studios story, but that he “stumbled” on the story after discovering the names of Pac’s assailants while working on a different story. This is the first of a total of three more stories that Phillips claims he has coming by the end of the year. While he hasn’t said what they’re about, one of them is believed to be a report on who’s responsible for the shooting death of Biggie.
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