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The Desired Film Cast Narrated by Omar Tyree
Mekhi Phifer - as - (Shareef Crawford) I've been a Mekhi Phifer fan ever since Spike Lee chose him for the lead role in Clockers in the mid 1990s. This Harlem, New York, cat came off with a mix of street edge and intelligence that was immediately evident in the film. That's why Spike chose him for the lead. But ever since then, outside of O, Mekhi has not had that many lead roles to match his skills. He's been playing the quality co-star now for a full decade. Well, after seeing the brother in another dynamite co-starring role in Paid In Full , I said to myself, Mekhi deserves to be the lead again. In fact, when I began to write this new book, originally titled The Writer, I used Mekhi Phifer as my lead character from the first description - ( . . . he opened his eyes and stretched his dark brown arms over several extra fluffy white pillows up on the twenty-second floor of the west wing. Aaaahhh, he grumbled. Another day another dollar . . . another fine girl another holler . . .) Ladies and gentleman, The Last Street Novel is a major starring role for Mekhi Phifer to step into and increase his Hollywood stature immediately! Just read the book and see for yourself.
Tyrese Gibson - as - (Jurrell Garland) Actually, I was not thinking about Tyrese in this arch-enemy role until my Renaissance Entertainment Group partner Arthur Wylie brought him up. A-Dub said, (Ay O, I know people close to Tyrese's camp, and I know that he wants to be down with a lot of different projects, so make sure you keep Tyrese in mind for some of the things you want to work on.) Then it hit me. To have Tyrese and Mekhi face off as real men in Harlem, New York, would be like Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino in Heat. Mekhi and Tyrese both have the same passionate, screen-stealing energy on camera. But I don't want the playful Tyrese Gibson of Baby Boy, The Fast & The Furious 2, or Four Brothers. I want Tyrese Gibson, the grown man, as played in the military movie Annapolis. Now, I know Annapolis was not celebrated as a great flick, but as far as I'm concerned, Tyrese played his strongest role yet in that film. Annapolis represents the power that I would have Tyrese display as (Jurrell Garland) to Mekhi's (Shareef Crawford.) So, if you haven't seen Tyrese in the movie Annapolis, now is a good time to go rent it.
Jade Yorker - as - (Baby G) Now I know that many of you have no idea who Jade Yorker is right now, but as a producer in Hollywood, you must always keep your eyes and ears open for new talent on the rise. Well, Jade Yorker played the cornrowed, lead running back in the football film Gridiron Gang, starring The Rock and Xzibit. Jade was the fast running cat who scored the touchdowns and had plenty of attitude problems. He then led the team to victory in the end. Now in that role, Jade Yorker played a teenager, but that film was produced at least 3 years ago. So I'm sure that he looks a bit older and a bit thicker now. And I loved the young brother's natural swagger in the film. Jade had great camera presence, he was very believable, and smooth with his delivery. So, I figure that with the right words and the right gear, I could turn him into the young slick, Harlem hustler (Baby G) in no time. And if Jade Yorker can pull off the (Baby G) role and make the crowd love him like you'll love (Baby G) in the book, then I'll have a few more projects lined up for Jade to star in. So, if you know the young brother personally, then let him know that Omar Tyree is looking for him!
DMX - as - (Michael Springfield) This is an easy cameo role for D. In real life, DMX has been in enough jams to play (Michael Springfield) blindfolded, with no script, and with his hands tied behind his back. Can't you just hear DMX's deliberate speech pattern and see his crazy energy all over this role? Again, you'll need to read the book to validate that. Then you can watch D in Belly, From The Cradle To The Grave , Never Die Alone, and any other film he's been in over the past 7 years. We haven't seen him much lately though. But if he gives me a cameo appearance here, I'll have another starring role for D to play later; a rugged comedy that he would love. And so will you. But first thing's first; let's see if we can get some on this (Michael Springfield) role.
Ghost face Killah - as - (Polo) Have you ever seen this cat Ghostface Killah in real life? The dude is like non-stop comedic energy. I mean, he sits around and talks all day long, telling stories about everything. Even his Wu-Tang rhyme style is filled with stories. So when I wrote the (Polo) character for the book, I thought of Ghostface all the way. Hell, even the name (Polo) was based off of Ghostface's all-out GQ style. This cat was ghetto fabulous before we created the word. The (Polo) role was custom styled just for Ghost, or should I just call him the Ironman? Whatever. This classic role is wide open for my man, Dennis Coles to step right in and enjoy. And like (Polo) says all through the book, (That's word to my whole family.)
Black Rob - as - (Spoonie) When I talk about Ghostface Killah having mad comedic and storytelling energy, the same thing goes for Black Rob from the Bad Boy crew. Both of these guys are natural talkers. So I could see Ghostface and Rob going at it for hours at a time in real life, just like I wrote with (Spoonie) and (Polo) going at it 24-7 in the book. But what is Rob even up to these days? I bought his last album, and I love his swagger as well, so he would be another easy fit. All he needs to do is let a brother know that he's still alive and hungry to play the role.
Some New Sinister Dude - as - (Trap) I'll consult with the casting director for this role. And certainly there are plenty of actors who have yet to be discovered or utilized out there. So, this is one of those roles that could eventually establish someone new. Like Spike Lee and John Singleton have done, it's not a bad idea at all to unleash some new blood every once and a while to keep the movie goers honest.
Zoe Saldana - as - (Jennifer Crawford) First of all, I must be honest in calling this book / film a masculine vehicle, because it is. Hands down. All of the brothers involved will make this thing move and shake. But of course, there has to be at least a few women involved to tell a complete story here. And although I haven't seen Zoe Saldana in that many films; Guess Who? Drumline, and Premium, she has the look of a pretty girlfriend / wife who has been forced to deal with the good and the bad sides of a relationship. Only thing is, how will the chemistry map out between her and Mekhi? Film couples are all about chemistry. However, in this case, maybe Mekhi and Zoe not having chemistry would work even better. Again, you'll need to read the book to understand why.
A Hot New Brown Chick - as - (Coffee) This role creates room for an unknown, beautiful brown sister to step right in and jumpstart a career. Warning; the role calls for someone with mad versatility, where (Coffee,) - aka - (Cynthia Washington,) shows up looking good in a serious business suit, goes point for point in conversation over dinner, throws it down in the bedroom, leaves with her dignity in tact, hangs out with hardened criminals from Harlem, and carries her own pistol to boot. And each of her layers have to be believable. So, before the casting is all over with, there will be hundreds of courageous brown honeys wanting this swing-with-the-boys type role, so the competition will indeed be steep, and for good reason. Because the girl who plays (Coffee) will become an overnight sensation. We're talking about a reincarnation of Pam Grier. So, get your cameras out and your designer clothes ready to show her off. Enough said.
Nicole Scherzinger - as - (Jacqueline Herrera) Nicole Scherzinger, if you don't know, was the lead singer from the pop group called the Pussycat Dolls. For you basketball fans out there, she sang the playoff song during the NBA Finals this year. Anyway, I don't know what race this chick is, but her exotically tanned skin, jet black hair, and moody look is exactly the kind of dime that I thought about for (Jacqueline Herrera.) So picture Nicole Z wearing a form-fitting, book promotion T-shirt, up in a Miami, Florida, condo that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, while she drinks an early morning glass of orange juice. However, does Nicole Z want to act? I guess it won't hurt to ask. But again, we'll have to make sure that she's believable.
The Dipset Crew - as - (Harlemites) I must admit that Cam'ron, Juelz Santana, and Jim Jones definitely come to mind to play various cameo scenes as themselves in this film. Nobody represents Harlem right now as hard as they do. I even have soundtrack ideas for these cats to add their flavor to. But at the same time, a film producer has to know when not to press the overkill button. Nevertheless, Cam'ron's on-point role in Paid In Full was indeed fabulous.
Omar Tyree - as - (The Spear) Now, I don't necessarily have to play this cameo role, but if I decided to, it would be a snap. I understand exactly how it feels to be hated on for having a non-apologetic attitude about your art. That's just my flavor. I'm raw, and I don't tend to pull too many punches. Well, (The Spear) was created with the same raw and hateful energy that passion on the wrong side of success can produce. So, I consider it an ironic role for me to play. Then again, maybe not. And maybe I'll learn to back away from my creations in the film world to allow the work to speak for itself for a change (smile).
So enjoy your read, and as always . . . SPREAD THE WORD! |
