Deadline reports that Starz is developing Tomorrow, Today — a series whose title may evoke lyrics from Rebecca Black’s “Friday” — but that actually hails from none other than 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson). The rapper has, through his production company G-Unit Film & Television, been involved with the premium cable network for a while (Jackson produces the crime drama Power, now in its third season), and this announcement comes as an extension of a deal announced today at the Television Critics Association press tour. The company is basing the series off of a screenplay written by Jackson, who’s also signed on to executive produce, alongside Bates Motel writer Anthony Cipriano, Dan Kay and Kirkland Morris, who’ll all likewise be writing.
The series’ main character/superhero is a former veteran whose superpowers came — as superpowers often do — from dangerous experiments. But this seems to have a more political bent than most: the veteran protagonist has been falsely imprisoned, and the experiments are carried out by a prison doctor. He’s been trying to create “an unstoppable killing machine” — but the protagonist is freed, goes on the run, and tries to “use his newfound abilities for good.” Polygon notes the similarity to Marvel superhero Luke Cage’s origin story — Cage likewise got his powers under the abuse of a prison authority and a doctor overseeing human experiments. (Cage is soon to be the centerpiece of his own Netflix series.)
Jackson said in a statement:
I am looking forward to continuing my relationship with my Starz family, we have had great success together on Power and I am excited to get going on all of our upcoming projects together. I knew Starz would be the perfect home for Tomorrow, Today. This project is very personal to me…creating it, writing it, finding the best team for it and I will continue to be involved every step of the way.
Jackson’s TV career seems to be soaring — in March, it was also announced that he’d be developing/hosting a variety series for A&E called 50 Cent Presents.