Forest Whitaker, 50 Cent to star in 'Jekyll and Hyde' remake

Forest Whitaker and 50 Cent

Credit: Matt Sayles/AP (50 Cent)

Forest Whitaker and rapper/actor 50 Cent have been tapped to play the leading men in Abel Ferrara's forthcoming contemporary take on the classic "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Titled "Jekyll and Hyde," the film starts filming later this summer, reports Variety.

This indie version will be yet another cinematic re-imagining of the Robert Louis Stevenson tale, of which there are dozens -- from musical versions to comedic renderings. The story's focus is on a chemist and his mad alter ego, which is let loose after he drinks a potion he invented.

"Jekyll and Hyde" will be produced by Glasshouse Pictures' Brett Walsh and Cheetah Vision Films' Randall Emmett.

50 Cent, aka Curtis Jackson, made his big screen debut in 2005's "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" and is slated to appear in a number of other upcoming projects, including "Streets of Blood" alongside Val Kilmer.

Whitaker currently stars in "Powder Blue," released straight to DVD last week, and is a voice behind one of the monsters in the much-anticipated "Where the Wild Things Are."

Fans of the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story will soon have even more competition for their interest. Universal has not just one, but two remakes under its hat, both in development. The first, headed by "Revolutionary Road" screenwriter Justin Haythe and director Nicolas Winding Refn ("Bronson"), stars Keanu Reeves as the troubled doctor. The other will come from director Guillermo del Toro, who is busy these days with "The Hobbit."