Though his negotiations are still ongoing, RZA is already very excited to be a part of "G.I. Joe: Cobra Strikes."

MTV News caught up with the hip hop producer recently to chat with him about his part in the film, and he seemed extremely enthusiastic about the project. "It's a great offer, a great producer," RZA said. "I like John Chu, he's directing it. We had a fun time talking about the character. It's a very strong cast. I want to do that. I think it will be a lot of fun, and I love having fun."

Read More...

Tags ,

My favorite news of the day, right here. Eli Roth and Wu-Tang producer/emcee RZA are teamed up for an ass-kicking martial arts flick, "The Man With the Iron Fist." That's not news. They've been working with Quentin Tarantino on this for five years, and only recently got the green light from Universal with a $20 million budget attached.

No, the news here falls more into the "so bizarre it's awesome" category. RZA was doing some talking on the red carpet at Sunday's 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, and he told E! Online that Russell Crowe will star in the film. Wait, really? Yup. The Wu founder wouldn't reveal much, but he did say that Crowe is "gonna be the baddest man alive." RZA, who writes and directs, will also have a starring role, as a weaponsmith in Feudal China. "That man will knock you out," he said of Crowe, adding, ""It's nerve-wracking [the idea of directing him]. He's a master of the craft. I'm quite sure that I may learn something from him."

Tags , , , ,

Wu-Tang's RZA has flirted with Hollywood for years, mostly on the soundtrack side of things though he's had a number of acting roles as well. Now he's going to star in a movie, one that he co-wrote with Eli Roth and will direct himself. In "The Man With Iron Fists" RZA plays a blacksmith in feudal China who uses his talents to create weapons for the residents of a village who are forced to defends themselves against some malevolent force. The $20 million budgeted movie will shoot in September. For additional details, check out the full story on Deadline.

Tags , ,

Before there was Big Baby Jesus, Dirt McGirt, or any number of other names he adopted through the years, there was Wu-Tang MC (and occasional producer) Ol' Dirty Bastard. Real name: Russell Tyrone Jones. Dirty left us in 2004, dead from a drug overdose just two days before his 36 birthday. Whatever fans may have thought of his increasingly erratic behavior, he was always a talented performer and one of the Wu-Tang Clan's most powerful creative energies.

It's a compelling story, the life of Ol' Dirty Bastard. Enough for a biopic even, at least according to Wu-Tang frontman RZA. In an interview with The A.V. Club, the entertainment everyman said "We have talked about [an Ol' Dirty biopic]." The biggest obstacle right now appears to be a legal one. "His estate is pretty confused, like any estate is in our country," RZA explained. "The estate is kind of confused on what to do, and all the rights and all that s--t, but it’s definitely been talked about." Read More...

Tags ,

--Terry Gilliam is getting back to his work on the man of La Mancha, Don Quixote. The filmmaker's seemingly cursed efforts at bringing the mad knight to the silver screen seem to have finally paid off, likely thanks to the goodwill his work on the soon-to-be-released "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" has fostered. Said Gilliam of "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote": "We're up and running again, we've rewritten the script and finally got it back, the budget's come in... and I think we've found our Quixote! But who's it going to be? Well, I'm not going to tell you, but it'll start next Spring." (Empire Online)

--Accomplished filmmaker Paul Schrader (he wrote "Taxi Driver" and "Raging Bull"!) is coming back to Hollywood. Halfway at least. In a joint Hollywood/Bollywood production, Schrader will direct "Xtrme City," which follows a U.S. ranger and an Indian commando as they comb the Mumbai underworld for the Yank's kidnapped sister-in-law. (Variety) Read More...

Tags , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

RZAArticle by Elena Torres with additional reporting by Larry Carroll

Although the 2009 blockbuster "Repossession Mambo" has already lined up Forest Whitaker, Jude Law, and Liev Schrieber, any modern moviegoer knows that no star-studded cast is complete without a hip-hop personality transitioning from his latest bump-and-grind single.

So, following on the heels of flicks like "American Gangster," "Crash" and "Black Snake Moan," the high-profile flick has decided to dance with RZA, leader of the Wu-Tang clan. "It's going to be a big movie," the hip-hop mogul exclaimed. "I play a music producer who is strung out on drugs, and I can't afford to pay my bills. They've got to repossess my heart." Read More...

Tags , , , , ,

That's the question on the streets as Ridley Scott's retro gangbanger epic hits theaters today. In the video below, "American Gangster" castmembers Denzel Washington, Common, RZA and Russell Crowe explain why the flick isn't your average rags-to-riches story. When you're done watching that, click here to read about our report on the "American Gangster" DVD bootlegs flooding the country.

Tags , , , , ,

RZAHere's how "Publishers Weekly" described Giovinazzi's "Life is Hot in Cracktown," a collection of short fiction all centering on crack addicts in the inner city: "Scatological and relentlessly sordid." In what may go down as the understatement of the year, here's how legendary rapper and former Wu-Tang Clan frontman RZA described the movie adaptation of the same name: "It's crazy!"

No kidding. The movie, like the book, will be more "vignette" in nature, RZA said, with several independent stories all focusing on crack. In the book, for instance, one of the stories, called "Miss Lonely Has a Date Tonight," is about a prostitute who is raped and murdered after having sex with her pimp's chauffer for some crack. Another, "Londa Fries Her Egg," centers on a pregnant crack addict forced to abort her fetus after brutal beatings from her father. Read More...

Tags ,

Casting rumblings about the "Justice League" movie just never seem to end. While actresses like Christina Milian hope to get a crack at Wonder Woman, we're especially anxious to see who will be the first actor to bring Green Lantern to the big screen. Of course by now you know that many are said to have read for the role, including none other than "American Gangster" co-star Common.

We did our best to get the dirt from the man himself recently, but he was pretty tight-lipped. But check out the video below to see his fellow "Gangster" star RZA get psyched about the prospect of Common donning that all-powerful ring.

Does Common have the chops to recite the Green Lantern oath? Who should play the DC comics icon when "Justice League" makes it to your multiplex? Sound off.

Tags , , , ,

SPONSORS
AD:
©2012 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. MTV and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.