50 Cent has announced that he’s started working on an 8 Mile TV series to help further Eminem‘s already bulletproof “legacy,” though details at the moment remain scarce.
The rapper-turned-TV mogul announced the project in an interview with Big Boy’s Neighborhood and said Slim Shady was backing the film’s transition to television.
“I wanna bring — I’m gonna bring, 8 Mile to television,” 50 Cent said, confirming that Em is aware of his plans.
“We in motion,” 50 said after being asked what stage of production the show is in. “It’s gonna be big. I’m working. I ain’t got no duds. I’m batting 100 … I think it should be there for [Eminem’s] legacy because it’s important to me that they understand it.”
The news comes a few months after the 8 Mile soundtrack celebrated its 20th anniversary with an “Expanded Edition” re-release, which arrived as the original album was certified 6x platinum. The new edition features all 12 original songs, along with instrumentals for each of the tracks.
All of the original cast members might not be game for an 8 Mile revamp. Mekhi Phifer, who starred as Rabbit’s friend Future, (a homage to Em’s real-life childhood friend Proof) in the 2002 film, recently told TMZ Hip Hop that there will “never” be a sequel to the beloved rap film.
“Sometimes it’s just best to leave it alone. Once you make it a classic, no reason to fool around with it,” he said. He added that a sequel could be interesting, but he would never consider reprising his beloved role.
“It could be interesting, but I wouldn’t be in it and I’m sure Eminem wouldn’t be in it either,” he said.
50 Cent will likely make sure that if Marshall Mathers is involved, he’ll have a better experience in Hollywood than he did the first time around. In a 2021 interview with Jimmy Kimmel, the Queens legend recalled that Eminem had an agonizing time working on 8 Mile and that it soiled the Hollywood experience for Slim Shady.
“I think he had a terrible experience on the 8 Mile project because he didn’t want to go back ever again,” he thought. “There was a period Hollywood would offer me things to get him. Then his agent would go, ‘Yeah, this is good. Give it to 50 and let 50 take it.’
“Projects that are offering $8 million to do it and he’ll look at it and go, ‘I just think that we should do Warriors. I’m like, ‘Did you miss the $8 million?’ It didn’t move him at all and then he’d go, ‘Let’s just go record records.’”
An 8 Mile TV series is just the latest project on 50 Cent’s agenda. The 47-year-old mogul previously said he plans to release new music in 2023 while saluting his longtime Detroit friend, who reportedly raked in over five billion views on YouTube in 2022, making him the most popular rapper on the platform last year.
“That’s my Boy,” he wrote next to a headline about Em’s YouTube dominance. “Im gonna remind people i’m nice this year. New Music New Tv New movie let’s go! #bransoncognac #lecheminduroi.”
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