A couple of the biggest names in music are trading the mic for the director's chair. Common and Nick Cannon are taking an extended break from the recording studio to launch new film projects.
Cannon will be making his directorial debut on a movie project with Lionsgate, which he describes as "today's version of House Party." The actor-rapper, who has spent plenty of time in front of the camera hosting America's Got Talent and MTV's Wild 'N Out, says to Page Six, “[I’m] taking a lot of the young hip hop acts of today and putting them in a movie with a bunch of comedians, make something happen there.”
Cannon's fellow "rap-tor" Common has landed himself another high-profile acting gig. The Hell on Wheels star announced at Sundance his new project Now You See Me, a thriller about a team of FBI agents tracking a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during their performances and reward their audiences with the money.
Common joins an all-star cast that already includes Morgan Freeman, Jesse Eisenberg, Michael Caine, Mark Ruffalo and Woody Harrelson. He had another film, indie drama LUV, at the prestigious festival, as well as another, Pawn, in the pipeline.
"And I’m looking to do more great, quality films — independent, studio, action, drama, comedy, animated," he tells Movieline. “God willing, I’ll become one of the great actors of our day.”

Sounds like he's well on his way, but hopefully he won't forget his first love, hip hop.

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