What is the deal with Justin Bieber? Seriously. Listen, we get that we’re not the demographic for this kid, but we’d understand the hoopla around him if there was some kind of talent or charisma. Obviously, he appeals to the tweenage set who scream and mob city streets just catch a glimpse of that stupid haircut but for everyone else? If you’re over twenty and listen to Justin Bieber in earnest, you need assistance. But hey, we’ll acknowledge that his concert film “Never Say Never” nearly brought $100 million worldwide so clearly there is an audience for this guy. But for whatever reason, he’s now being packaged as a serious actor.
Deadline reports that The Bieber and Mark Wahlberg (WTF) will be co-starring in a currently untitled film that takes place in the world of street basketball. Good God. Apparently, Bieber’s performance in this year’s NBA All-Star Game made people think they should pay millions of dollars to put him into a sports drama. The script will be written by Ian Edelman who has penned the Wahlberg-produced and pretty solid HBO series “How To Make It In America” and the tone is said to be somewhere between “The Color Of Money” and “The Karate Kid.” We presume Wahlberg will be the coach and Bieber the young upstart who he has to whip into shape. Cue fourth-quarter buzzer-beating game-winning shot by Bieber as his hair undulates in slo-mo.
So, will Bieber be able to retain his fans with a more adult role where he presumably won’t be perma-pouting at the camera? Will adults give Bieber a shot? Do we even care? Oh sure, Wahlberg made a name for himself and Eminem got some acclaim playing himself, but there are countless scores of other pop and hip hop stars whose transitions to movies have been disasters or simply relegated to straight-to-DVD crap. For every Justin Timberlake, there’s a Vanilla Ice.
No word on when this will start but there’s still time for it to get stuck in development hell, right? But Hollywood seems determined to make this kid a star, as he’s also got “What Would Kenny Do” gestating with Ashton Kutcher. By hook or by crook, we’re gonna get this kid slammed down our throats before his career fizzles out, it’s just a matter of which movie happens first.