Tyrese Gibson has faced off against gangsters, robots, and even Lady Gaga in his career as an actor. The man has had a wide range of missions to carry out and foes to vanquish, and he's always done so with style – particularly in the Fast And Furious films he's starred in since 2 Fast, 2 Furious. Well now it looks like he's about to trade in style for substance, as he's signed on for a gritty crime drama over at Universal. Only this time, instead of jet-setting to other countries to fight the bad guys, he'll only need to look in his own metaphorical backyard.
Deadline has revealed the news that Tyrese Gibson has made a deal with Universal - through his geekily-named Voltron Filmz - to executive produce and star in Desert Eagle. The film will have Gibson facing off against a drug cartel that operates out of a Native American casino front. Obviously, Gibson is the front runner/only option to play the leader of the crusade against the drug trade.
Gibson is no stranger to big screen action, but to our knowledge, this is the first film that's been sold on the back of his performance alone. This is excellent, as the man has paid his dues in several genres, and proven himself as a more than capable actor. Desert Eagle could be the movie to propel his career from comic relief in genre pictures into leading man of action, which would really, really help if Tyrese Gibson is serious about auditioning for the role of the Green Lantern - which we know he most definitely is.
Of course, making the move to a picture like Desert Eagle, especially from a franchise like the Fast And Furious movies, is a big risk. Just ask Vin Diesel, who tried to parlay his early success with The Fast And The Furious into a string of films like xXx and A Man Apart - both films that might have seemed like good ideas at the time, only to inspire a huge case of buyer's remorse after the fact. That being said, looking back at Tyrese Gibson's previous acting performances, it's not hard to see how the man could easily shift into the action hero type in his own, brand driven, thrillers.
Tyrese Gibson has the look, and the talent, to become a leading man thus far. Desert Eagle will be Gibson's trial by fire in the hero business, and if successful, could lead to so many more opportunities for the man. If unsuccessful, you can rest assured that the Fast And Furious franchise will always welcome the actor behind Roman Pearce back into the fold. For now though, you can see if Furious 7 will wow the crowd, as well as put a little more polish on Gibson's resume, on April 3rd.
