Ice Cube is set to star in a new ‘Oliver Twist’ musical.
The rapper-turned-actor is teaming up with Disney Studios and ‘Hamilton’ director Thomas Kail for a new movie based on Charles Dickens’ famous work, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Cube is set to play Fagin – who teaches children to make their livings by pickpocketing and other criminal activities – and he will also produce the movie through his Cube Vision company.
Marc Platt and Jeff Kwatinetz will join him as producers on the project and Kwatinetz and Cube have started writing the treatment for the movie, which is set to feature a number of different musical influences, including hip-hop.
The novel tells the story of the orphan Oliver, who escapes to London where he joins a gang of juvenile pickpockets led by Fagin.
It was already adapted by Disney as an animated movie in 1998 and has found huge success on stage as a musical.
Meanwhile, it was recently revealed that Ice Cube and co-star Kevin Hart are expected to return for ‘Ride Along 3’.
Director Tim Story revealed a script for the forthcoming movie is in development by screenwriters Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, and the filmmaker is "impatiently" waiting to see what the scribes have come up with next for the comedy duo.
He said: "We’re writing the script right now, we’re writing away and basically, I’m waiting to see some pages and we’re excited for the idea and what it can be and of course bringing Kevin [Hart] and Ice Cube back together because they are the greatest odd couple in the world.
"I’m impatiently waiting for a script to be given to me. We have some great ideas."
Story directed the first two ‘Ride Along’ movies which have both been success stories, grossing more than $225 million at the US box office alone.
The first motion picture in the franchise was released in 2014 and saw Hart’s character Ben Barber go on a police ride along with his girlfriend’s brother, officer James Payton (Cube), to prove to his significant other’s sibling that he is worthy of marrying her.
‘Ride Along 2’ was released in January 2016 and saw Hart and Cube’s characters head to Miami to try to bring down crime lord Antonio Pope (Benjamin Bratt) and his hacker A.J. (Ken Jeong).
Ice Cube to star in Oliver Twist musical
