RARA-AVIS: King Suckerman on the silver screen

James Stephenson (james_e_stephenson@umail.umd.edu)
Mon, 04 May 1998 09:04:35 -0400 George Pelecanos (who was lurking on this list the last I heard) will
finally hit the big screen thanks to rap superstar Puff Daddy. Here's
the Variety story intact, forwarded without permission:

>
> NEW YORK (Variety) - As he nears a deal to make his film debut as a quarterback phenom in Oliver
> Stone's gridiron drama "On Any Given Sunday" at Warner Bros., Sean "Puffy" Combs wants to be the
> signal caller on a big screen career that will include producing and starring in films and TV.
>
> He has launched his own film shingle, Bad Boy Films, and set his first project at Dimension Films. Combs
> will star in an adaptation of the George Pelecanos novel "King Suckerman," which he will produce with
> manager Benny Medina.
>
> At age 27, Combs has gone from an internship at Andre Harrell's Uptown Entertainment to being the CEO
> of Bad Boy Entertainment, the top-selling label in urban/hip hop. Combs's own album, "No Way Out,"
> has sold seven million albums. "I'll Be Missing You," Combs's tribute to his slain pal Notorious B.I.G.,
> went triple platinum and Combs has become a sought after record producer, steering recent efforts by
> Mariah Carey and Aretha Franklin. He's just as ambitious about making his move into movies and TV
> production.
>
> "I pride myself in being a visionary, and this is my chance to prove that vision on the big screen," Combs
> said. "As opposed to working in a medium that you hear, I've always been intrigued with TV and film,
> presenting something you can see."
>
> "King Suckerman" is set in D.C. during the bicentennial celebration, and Combs will play a record store
> owner who unwittingly incurs the wrath of drug dealers when his pal crosses them. It's described by
> Medina, Combs's manager and the film's coproducer, as a tale of morality and the unexpected
> consequences of standing by a friend. Combs brought the book to Dimension executive Peter Schwerin
> and president Cary Granat, and Miramax co-chairman Bob Weinstein blessed a deal which calls for
> Combs to produce the soundtrack as well and leaves the door open for sequels: the character recurs in
> other novels by Pelecanos, who's writing the script.
>
> "I'm going to play roles that I can handle and that give me a chance to grow as an actor," Combs said, "so
> that my second movie is better than my first, and the fifth is better than the third. Mine is not the major
> role here, and I'm hoping to surround myself with a cast of major actors I can learn from."
>
> Combs will make an immediate movie impact next month. He teamed up with ex-Led Zeppelin guitarist
> Jimmy Page and Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine to create "Come With Me," the theme song
> of Sony's "Godzilla." Page reprises his classic guitar riffs from the Zeppelin song "Kashmir," with Combs
> rapping fresh lyrics.
>
> Though the "Suckerman" deal gives Miramax/Dimension's Weinstein brothers inside track on a screen
> relationship with Combs, Medina said they currently have no overall deal and can either set up projects
> piecemeal or finance development themselves. "The long-term idea is to grow a TV and film operation
> that's as revolutionary to those mediums as his record company has been to the recording industry,"
> Medina said.
>
> Combs was repped by ICM's Jason Barrett, Phil Casey and Andy Reif along with his attorney, Kenny
> Meiselas. Pelecanos was repped by ICM's Alicia Gordon.

-- 
James Stephenson
Rare Books & Special Collections Cataloger
McKeldin Library
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Mailto:js272@umail.umd.edu
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