Eminem Almost Had Matt Damon's Role in Upcoming Sci-Fi Thriller
Today in WTF News: Eminem almost resurrected his long-dormant acting career for a starring role in a sci-fi thriller that eventually went to Matt Damon.
Yep, Marshall Mathers' first movie role since his debut in 8 Mile would have been as the car-stealing, gun-toting action hero of Elysium, the new movie from District 9 director Neil Blomkamp. And yes, if you've seen the trailer, that means Eminem would have been facing off against Jodie Foster as the film's icy villain.
Nothing against Damon, but the universe is a far lamer place for this not happening.
So what prevented Slim Shady from becoming the new Schwarzenegger? It seems he didn't want to leave home. According to Wired, Eminem "was interested—but only if the shoot took place in his hometown of Detroit." Not exactly being known as a haven for big budget filmmaking, Blomkamp passed and moved on to Damon.
But this story gets even stranger when you learn who was his first choice for Elysium's lead: Fellow South African Watkin Tudor Jones, a.k.a. Ninja from the alt-rap group Die Antwoord. But even though he has D9 tattooed on his inner lip in tribute to Blomkamp's 2009 sci-fi indie film, Ninja passed on playing an American-accented character in a Hollywood flick, calling it a, "f-cked-up, difficult decision."
Kudos to Ninja for trusting his intuition, but seriously, it's going to be hard watching Elysium without wondering what beautiful madness he or Eminem might've brought to the film. Watch the trailer below and let your imagination run wild.
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