8 Mile: Eminem and 50 Cent Are Working on A Series Based on The Film

Eminem and 50 Cent are working on a series based on 8 Mile, a 2002 film that earned Eminem an Academy Award for Best Original Song. In recent years, 50 Cent has developed a second burgeoning career as a television producer, being responsible for virtually half of the Starz network’s programming. 50 Cent opened up about his plans for a TV adaptation of the film with Eminem during an interview with radio host Big Boy for his YouTube channel. As reported by IndieWire, according to 50 Cent, he and Eminem are working to develop the series for television, and he wants to “refresh” the story to introduce new generations to Eminem’s legacy. The two rappers have been friends since the early 2000s and have collaborated dozens of times, starting with two songs on 50 Cent’s 2003 album Get Rich or Die Tryin.

“I want to bring… I’m going to bring 8 Mile to television”, 50 Cent said. “It will be a big thing. I am working. I have no problems. I think it should be there for his legacy because it’s important to me that they understand that“.

8 Mile: Eminem and 50 Cent Are Working on A Series

Released in 2002, 8 Mile is a lightly fictionalized account of Eminem’s life as an aspiring rapper, with the rapper himself playing the lead Jimmy Smith Jr. or B-Rabbit. The film follows Jimmy, a car factory worker, as he tries to gain respect in the Detroit rap community. Directed by LA Confidential Academy Award winner Curtis Hanson from a screenplay by Scott Silver, who recently wrote the Joker screenplay, 8 Mile also stars Kim Basinger, Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, Michael Shannon and Anthony Mackie.

8 Mile was a critical and box office success when it hit theaters, grossing $242.9 million worldwide on a $51.3 million budget. Eminem and authors Luis Resto and Jeff Bass won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for Lose Yourself. Although he was not present at the Academy Awards ceremony that year to perform the song or accept the award, 17 years later he would (somewhat inexplicably) appear at the 2020 Academy Awards to perform it live. 50 Cent sang three songs from the film’s soundtrack, which sold $3.4 million and launched Lose Yourself at No. 1 on Billboard for 12 weeks.