Common is Wanted

It’s a little unusual that one of hip-hop’s less “gangsta” (and more talented) artists is already handling firearms in his young movie career, but Common is picking up the guns yet again.

The lyricist-turned-thesp is following turns in SMOKIN’ ACES and Ridley Scott’s AMERICAN GANGSTER with a role in the comic book adaptation WANTED. Common joins NARNIA faun James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman in the flick, about a below-average working stiff who suddenly discovers he’s the son of a deceased supervillain and has inherited both his notoriety and uncanny marksmanship abilities.

Common reveals that his character “is called the Gunsmith. I’m basically this dude that’s a master at shooting guns. I’m training this gentleman that’s coming in, who really has certain abilities but doesn’t know it; I’m training him on how to be what he should be.“

Writers Derek Haas and Michael Brandt (2 FAST 2 FURIOUS) were given the task of turning Mark Millar’s rather clumsy, vapid attempt at deconstructing comic book super-criminals into something worth watching. The big-budget Universal movie comes from Russian director Timur Bekmambetov, who has been chronicling the eternal struggle between the forces of Light and Darkness with the dazzling and nonsensical NIGHT WATCH and DAY WATCH.