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This Matt Damon movie nearly starred Eminem

It is rumoured that Eminem has stayed away from acting due to developing a pill addiction during the filming of 8 Mile.

Eminem has not returned to the silver screen in a starring role since 2002’s 8 Mile. Since then, there have been plenty of rumours and speculation that the rapper would stage an onscreen comeback. Alas, nothing has come to fruition in nearly two decades’ time.

Director Neill Blomkamp originally wanted Eminem to play the lead role in his 2013 science fiction film Elysium. However, Marshall Mathers would only accept the role if filming were to occur in his hometown of Detroit. The rapper wanted this for both personal reasons and to stimulate the city’s economy.

“I’d written a low budget version of Elysium which was a very different film,” Blomkamp explained. “I [wanted] to try and find someone unusual and weird and unexpected.”

The role ended up going to Matt Damon. Elysium made $286.1-million against an $115-million budget and received mixed reviews.

There are many other finished films that Eminem was once attached to. At one point, he was supposed to star in 2008’s Jumper but that role went to Hayden Christensen. He was also involved in a film titled Random Acts of Violence. It is rumoured that Eminem has stayed away from acting due developing a crippling pill addiction during the hectic filming of 8 Mile.


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