THR reports that Ice Cube, the N.W.A. rapper-turned actor who has gone on to forge a successful career in Hollywood, is on the verge of joining the cast of a new Oliver Twist reboot. Hamilton director Thomas Kail is riding high from his Tony award win and will run the project from behind the camera. All while Disney Studios put the pieces in place to make a modern adaptation of the classic English tale.
Fresh from starring in the comedy Fist Fight alongside Charlie Day, Cube will portray Fagin in the story. The character is an antagonist that has commonly been shown to be an elderly man with a beard and top hat. The character also has a history of getting up to all sorts of shenanigans.
Audience In A Twist As Character Gears For Yet Another Reboot
For those wanting their fix of Oliver Twist, there are multiple versions out there doing the rounds. For motion pictures, there have been releases from 1922 to 1933, 1948, 1968, 1982, 1988, 1997, 2003 and finally in 2005. The latter was directed by the controversial Roman Polanski.
Commonly a feature with stage productions, Marc Platt and Jeff Kwatinetz of The Firm are on board as producers. The rapper himself will also be listed on the production end via his Cube Vision banner. The Charles Dickens story might have been adapted and rehashed time and time again, but introducing an iconic African American performer into the mix will give it a modern aesthetic and appeal. All in hopes of breaking the narrative away from the very white, very bland movie we've watched before.
Cube Movies Flop With Critics, Not With Cinemas
Making money is the aim of the game in this industry. And, while the original 2014 comedy Ride Along with Kevin Hart failed to win over critics, it won over the box office to make a staggering $154.5m from just a $25m budget. That paved the way for the sequel Ride Along 2. A flick that bombed even worse than the original with those paid to judge critics. But critics be damned! As the film made a big profit yet again.
His upcoming 2017 Fist Fight at least alters the dynamic, seeing him pitted against Charlie Day in a schoolyard environment. There won't be big expectations on this romp, particularly with the critics. But, if history is any judge, it should make a return on the initial outlay.
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