Eminem, the man behind the top-selling album of 2010, is going back to Hollywood. Nearly a decade after starring in 8 Mile, a movie loosely based on his early days in hip-hop, the rapper is planning a return to acting in the forthcoming crime thriller Random Acts of Violence. (His only role since was a cameo in the 2009 Adam Sandler vehicle Funny People.)
According to Vulture, Eminem intends to star in the 20th Century Fox picture, which is said to be produced by Shady Films' Paul Rosenberg and Stuart Parr. The two also produced 8 Mile and the 50 Cent vehicle Get Rich or Die Tryin.
Random Acts of Violence was originally intended to be tied in with Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, but the game company declined to sell the rights to Fox after some financial considerations. Early scripts for the film were essentially a variation on Grand Theft Auto's narrative themes, but Vulture's sources claim that the movie will now more closely resemble Martin Scorcese's Academy Award-winning film The Departed.
Though he has contributed voiceover appearances to the comedy series Crank Yankers and the video game 50 Cent: Bulletproof, the Random Acts of Violence role would be Eminem's first live-action acting gig since 8 Mile.
