Hip-hop Renaissance man Master P's Hollywood takeover is heating up. The rapper and his superstar son, Lil' Romeo, are involved in no less than seven films, all scheduled to come out over the next year or so.
The latest of the batch is an
urban comedy called "Uncle P," which was written by P cohort Dallas Jackson. Bernard Gourley, who lensed the Lil' Romeo video for "True Love" featuring Solange, will direct. P will finance the project with several million dollars and will release the movie nationally through his recently resurrected No Limit Films. Shooting is scheduled to begin February 13, Jackson said.
"Uncle P" is a fish-out-of-water story about a millionaire hip-hop entrepreneur forced to temporarily leave the business world when his sister becomes ill and needs someone to take care of her three kids. So P's character heads to suburban California, where he's confronted with perplexing tasks like mowing the lawn, doing dishes and walking the dog.
Plus he has to counsel his sister's children: a boy-crazy 14-year-old girl, a 12-year-old boy (played by Romeo) desperately in need of a father figure and a 5-year-old girl who provides much of the movie's comic relief.
Tatiana Ali will play P's girlfriend, and Ben Stein and B2K will make appearances. A soundtrack will likely feature songs by P, Lil' Romeo, B2K and Mario, Jackson said.
Long before "Uncle P" comes to town, the rapper will make a showing in two major studio productions. In the dramatic MGM nail-biter "Dark Blue," opening February 21, he'll act alongside stars Kurt Russell and Lolita Davidovich. He'll play a club owner in "Hollywood Homicide," which is about a rap star who is murdered onstage and the investigation that follows (see "Master P, Kurupt, Outkast's Dre Do 'Hollywood Homicide'"). The movie, which stars Harrison Ford and Josh Hartnett, recently wrapped and should be out by September, Jackson said.
P's long-in-the-works prison tale "Lockdown," starring Bill Nunn and Joe Torry, opens February 14. P is also shooting a sequel to his 1997 cinematic debut, "I'm Bout It." The flick was written by Jackson and will go straight to video on April 22 to accompany the new studio releases by Master P and the 504 Boyz, and Master P and Silkk the Shocker.
Meanwhile, Romeo is working on the films "Lil' Romeo and Lil' Juliet," "Shorties" and "Honey" as well as the Nickelodeon sitcom "Pieces of the Puzzle," which debuts in April.
This report is from MTV News.
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