According a new report, Warner Bros. plans to reboot the 1991 film New Jack City. Directed by Mario Van Peebles, the action film heavily influenced hip-hop culture and received mostly-positive critic reviews. Produced for just $8 million, New Jack City earned nearly $50 million at the box office.
Actor Wesley Snipes was an emerging star when New Jack City originally released. In the film, he portrays Nino Brown, a New York City drug kingpin who is chased by detective Scotty Appleton, portrayed by hip-hip musician Ice-T. At the time, Snipes was best known for starring in the baseball movie Major League, while Ice-T was primarily known for releasing “gangster” music.
The film’s release paralleled on-going obscenity controversies associated with musical groups such as 2 Live Crew and N.W.A, two hip-hops acts that ultimately elevated the genre's place in pop culture while raising questions about freedom of speech. After New Jack City, Snipes went on to become a ‘90s action star (Demolition Man, Blade), while Ice-T later became a familiar face on network television for portraying Odafin Tutuola on NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
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