50 Cent developing Saints Row movie
Actor-rapper tells reporters he plans on turning THQ's open-world crime game into film; also discusses future game projects and recording game soundtracks.
To help promote today's launch of 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand, the titular rapper held a telephone press conference with reporters from around the country. Though the press event focused on his just-released third-person shooter for the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, the actor-rapper-producer also made an announcement that he is developing a new game-related film project.
"With my relationship with THQ, you'll actually see me develop Saints Row into a screenplay and into a film project," 50 Cent--real name Curtis James Jackson III--proclaimed. "I'm optioning the rights to that now, so you'll see that before you see me attempt to do [a film adaptation of my games]. He did not offer further details on the project, which has yet to be announced by THQ or any film studio. A third Saints Row game is currently in development at Volition Inc.
Before and after revealing the Saints Row film, 50 Cent answered questions about Blood on the Sand. He admitted that the first game he lent his voice and likeness to, Vivendi Games' 2005 actioner 50 Cent: Bulletproof, was "difficult to control." However, he was pleased with the game's popular reception, which overcame poor reviews to help the game sell more than 1 million copies in the US.
The rapper also said that his current effort featured a gameplay mechanic similar to Gears of War and Army of Two. "Both of those games have a similar engine, a similar technology," 50 Cent explained. "Both of those games are great games, so that bracket ain't a bad bracket to be in." Jackson also promised plenty of Easter eggs in Blood on the Sand, including one secret mission that is unlocked after the main quest is finished.
When asked if he might make a rhythm music game, Jackson had the following to say. "I had the opportunity to play Guitar Hero while at MTV taping the last episode of TRL. I had a lot of fun doing it, but I'm not sure how much fun it would be with hip-hop music, unless you had MP3s and beat machines in it." Recently, fellow rapper Snoop Dogg announced that his songs would appear in Rock Band as digital downloads.
In terms of the involvement of his musical associates in G-Unit, 50 Cent said that they were present for the initial conceptual meetings, but otherwise had little input. "They did the voice-overs in the actual game, and performed on some recordings," said Jackson. "And they did some green-screen photos for their likenesses in the actual game."
He then berated fellow G-Unit member Young Buck for skipping the green-screen shoot to be at a Young Jeezy video shoot in Atlanta. "God works in mysterious ways, but I think it was good I could wean myself away from my association with this particular artist, because he didn't participate and didn't take advantage of the opportunity," rued the rapper.
50 Cent went on to reveal that the diamond-encrusted skull featured in Blood on the Sand is based on an actual work by British artist Damien Hirst. That piece, composed of a platinum skull covered in more than 8,601 diamonds, was auctioned off for $100 million in August 2007.
Check back later this week for GameSpot's full review of 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand.
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