50 Cent is venturing into the world of comic book superheroes.
The rapper/actor has optioned the rights to Christopher Priest and ChrisCross’s DC Comic series ‘Xerø.’ He is producing Xero into a live-action movie and potential film franchise through his G Unit Film & Television production company.
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Xero follows a Black government assassin who weaponizes invisibility by disguising himself as a white man to blend anonymously into the exotic Casino Royale haunts of the international elite. Spanning the gulf between that and the disenfranchised city streets of East St. Louis, Illinois, Trane Walker is a man living in two worlds but taking ownership of neither. Xero tells the story of his moral awakening and the life-and-death perils it presents.
“There’s no one better than Christopher Priest to bring G-Unit Film & Television into the world of comic book superheroes,” said Jackson. “Watch as we build XERO into a franchise alongside Christopher and Color Farm Media, I can’t wait for the world to meet Trane Walker in an all new way.”
Priest wrote the come with drawings by ChrisCross. The series ran from May 1997 to June 1998. Priest said the following of the potential franchise based on his creation:
“Xero depicts a slow-moving car wreck at the intersection of race and class. The commonality of struggle represented by the life experiences of Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson, G-Unit Film & Television and Color Farm assure a broad depth of first-hand appreciation for that delicate balance. It’s exciting to be working together to create this new world.”
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Priest is credited as the first Black writer/editor in mainstream comics, working for both Marvel and DC Comics. He has served as a writer and editor on series like Spider-Man, Green Lantern, Conan the Barbarian, Deadpool and Black Panther.
Color Farm Media’s Erika Alexander and Ben Arnon, as well as Joseph Illidge, CEO of the production company, Illuminous are also producing. “Priest is a master storyteller,” said Alexander. “Xerø is a powerful project and we’re thrilled to partner with Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson’s G-Unit Film & Television, the preeminent power players.”
The project is still on the early stages and no other casting or production news is known at this time.