Ice Cube is reportedly set to play the role of the real estate agent Ebenezer Scrooge in "Humbug," a contemporary retelling of Charles Dicken's much-celebrated classic "A Christmas Carol." The film is preidcted to open in cinemas by 2017.
As reported by Deadline, Universal Pictures has won a four-studio bidding battle over MGM, New Line and Disney in the race to acquire the rights for the movie. The studio purchased the script from writers Todd R. Jones and Earl Richey Jones.
Meanwhile, the film remarks another collaboration between director Tim Story and actor/rapper/producer Ice Cube that began with the box office hit "Barbershop," which spawned two sequels. The two have also teamed up before on "Ride Along" series with the follow-up bowing next year.
In related news, The Guardian reported that the rapper-turned-actor was recently immortalized in the blockbuster hip-hop biopic "Straight Outta Compton." With his portrayal as the rich real-estate mogul, he could earn at least $10M if "Humbug" makes it to the production stage.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the N.W.A rapper is reported to produce the film alongside Jeff Kwatinetz (Black Knight, Big Momma's House). The Jones Brothers, on the other hand, will serve as co-producers.
"A Christmas Carol" has been adapted for the big screen several times now, one of which is the prominent version being Disney's 2009 motion-captured animation starring Jim Carrey as the miserly curmudgeon Ebenezer. Moreover, the oldest surviving film version is 1901's Scrooge, or Marley's Ghost, but the story has been filmed at least once a decade in the 114 years since, bar the 1960s.
Further famous takes include the 1951 film Scrooge (A Christmas Carol in the US), starring Alastair Sim as Scrooge, and the 1970 musical Scrooge starring Albert Finney as the miser and Alec Guinness as Marley's Ghost.
Ice Cube will star as the Scrooge in 'A Christmas Carol' reboot - ''Humbug. However, an official release date of the film has yet to be announced; despite studio sources said it could be ready by 2017.
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