Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson has been branching out beyond music for a while now, both as an actor and a producer. Among his upcoming onscreen credits is Gil Medina's Vengeance and offscreen, he's listed as a producer for Scott Walker's upcoming thriller The Frozen Ground. For the small screen, his work is headed to Starz where he'll executive produce a recently greenlit series called Power.
Starz Chief Executive Officer Chris Albrecht announced today that Power has been given a series order at Starz. Created by Courtney Kemp Agboh (The Good Wife) and executive produced by Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, the series centers on a character named James "Ghost" St. Patrick, who's a wealthy New York City nightclub owner who's living a double life. When he isn't catering to the city's elite with his club, he's secretly the kingpin of the most lucrative drug network in New York for very high-level clientele. And it sounds like his world is on the verge of implosion when he's tempted to drop the criminal side of his life and become the rags-to-riches businessman he always wanted to be.
Albrecht said, "We are thrilled to add 'Power' to our growing original programming lineup for 2014. Curtis has a unique and specific vision for the series, lending it an authenticity and voice rarely seen. Courtney has created a rich world and characters not often explored in contemporary drama. There is a rawness and soul to the character of Ghost as he struggles to live between these two worlds that we believe will leave an indelible mark on the audience and stay with them after the credits roll."
Premium cable seems like the right place for a drama like this, especially if the series aims to explore the glamor of nightclubs and the grittier side of the city's drug business. Mixing glamor and crime has worked out well so far for Starz with the cable network's period drama Magic City. It seems like this one will take some of those elements into the present day. And from what Albrecht says, it sounds like Ghost could prove to be a really great character. Who will play him? There's time for them to search for the right man for the job. Starz gave the show an 8-episode order, but since it doesn't begin shooting until later this year, we probably won't see this one on the air until next year.
