Eminem Has Gun - Will Travel

Most of Eminem's fans have never seen the 50's television western, Have Gun - Will Travel, but that is about to change, as the Detroit rapper has been tapped to play the lead role of Paladin in the announced remake from Paramount.

According to the BBC, a report in Variety states that the 8 Mile star is involved with Paramount's plans to develop a modern day version of the 50's TV show, Have Gun - Will Travel. The trade also revealed that Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, had been having a hard time locking down the right type of role since his film debut in 8 Mile.

It's a huge shift for the real life rapper, to go from portraying an up and coming rapper in film to a wild west bounty hunter, but if you look at Eminem's career accomplishments, this will probably turn out to be pretty cool. In a report on Zap2it, " Paramount has taken out an 18-month option for the Interscope/Shady/Aftermath Films shingle to rework the potential franchise for Eminem. Producers on the hypothetical feature would include Jimmy Iovine, Paul Rosenberg, Stuart Parr and Gene Kirkwood." There is also speculation that Eminem may rework the popular theme song from the show,which younger viewers will remember being featured in the film, Stand By Me.

Will this new version of Have Gun - Will Travel be set in the west, or Detroit? According to theDetroit Free Press, through Daily Variety, "the concept will be updated for contemporary times. Daily Variety said it's possible the setting would be Detroit, but that details have yet to be finalized. It will not be a musical movie, but Eminem (Marshall Mathers) will likely be involved in the soundtrack or score. " In a quote from the rapper's manager, Paul Rosenberg , he said, "When this property essentially became available we discussed it and brought it to Marshall and he was very intrigued and excited about the concept."

This is the first bit of positive news coming out of the Eminem camp for awhile, considering past headlines revolving around his failed marriage (See Eminem to Divorce Kim Mathers Again), his fight over ringtones (See Ringtones Go Silent for Eminem) and the death of his good friend, Proof (See D12 Rapper Proof Shot and Killed in Night Club).

Marshall Mathers' career, however, is a bright light in his life. He has won 9 Grammys, off of 21 nominations. Both The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show won nominations for Album of the Year. His songs "The Real Slim Shady", "My Name Is" (off The Slim Shady LP), "Lose Yourself" (off the 8 Mile soundtrack), "Forgot About Dre" (featuring Dr. Dre) have all won Grammies. The Slim Shady LP, The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show all won for Best Rap Album, while Encore was nominated. His music video for "Without Me" earned Slim Shady another Grammy. The rapper also picked up an Oscar for "Lose Yourself" off the 8 Mile Soundtrack.

[Additional Sources: BBC, Zap2it, The Detroit Free Press]