V.I.P. News

Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and Samuel L. Jackson will soon have more in common than just a last name, as they're both up for roles in "Home of the Brave," a wartime drama set against the backdrop of the war in Iraq.

Written by first-time screenwriter Mark Friedman and directed by "Life as a House" helmer Irwin Winkler, the flick will follow three soldiers who return home from the conflict and find the readjustment difficult. Samuel L. Jackson has been cast as a middle-age doctor who is surprised to discover that his tour of duty at home is even more daunting than the one he just finished in the Middle East.

Jessica Biel, Christina Ricci and "7th Heaven" actor Brian Presley have also signed on to the independently financed film, which is expected to begin shooting in Morocco next month with a budget of $12 million. The production will also shoot in Spokane, Washington, and will then approach studios for a distribution deal.<!–more–>

50 Cent, who recently made his acting debut in the semi-autobiographical drama "Get Rich or Die Tryin' ", is in final negotiations to make "Brave" his first true attempt at playing a fully fictionalized character. The 30-year-old hip-hop superstar would be joining a rare attempt by Hollywood to address the war in Iraq, one that Winkler admits was a difficult sell.

Last year's military-themed flick "Jarhead," assumed by many to be commenting on the current conflict, was in fact set during the first Gulf War. "Home of the Brave" would be notable as the first military drama to address Iraq.

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