8 Mile star explains why he never wants to see a sequel made
Mekhi Phifer has revealed that you really do only get one shot.
Actor Mekhi Phifer has revealed why he never wants to see another 8 Mile film.
While sequels, prequels, threequels and spin-offs are the trends of the film industry right now, the actor who played David ‘Future’ Porter in the 2002 film has opened up about why there was never a follow-up movie.
When asked about a second film, Phifer told TMZ: “Sometimes it’s just best to leave it at one.
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“Sometimes it’s just best to leave it alone. Once you make a classic, no reason to fool around with it.”
The flick ends with B-Rabbit, AKA Eminem, turning down the position to host rap battles with Future and opting to pursue his own music career instead, it’s safe to say we know what happens next.
No sequel needed.
When pressed about if he thought it would be interesting to see what happens after the events of the first film, the Honey star replied: “Yeah, but you know, the story that we told is the story.
"It could be interesting, but I wouldn’t be in it, and I’m sure Eminem wouldn’t be in it, either.”
The film, which is based on Eminem’s life and ventures into the music industry, was a huge hit, generating USD $241.9 million (AUD 355.6m or £200.5m) at the box office.
It also received numerous awards and accolades, even winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song for ‘Lose Yourself’.
And while a sequel never came to fruition despite its commercial and critical success, once upon a time, Jake Gyllenhaal was in talks to star in a follow-up film.
According to Far Out Magazine, Sons of Anarchy series creator Kurt Sutter wrote a script similar to the original, but instead of following an aspiring rapper, the story centred around a struggling boxer trying to win back custody of his daughter.
Weirdly enough, the flick received the green light from producers, but rather than being a sequel; it turned into 2015’s Southpaw.
According to the outlet, while speaking to Deadline, Gyllenhaal said: “In a way, this is a continuation of the 8 Mile story, but we are doing a metaphorical narrative of the second chapter of his life.
"He’ll play a world champion boxer who really hits a hard bottom, and has to fight to win back his life for his young daughter.
“At its core, this is a retelling of his struggles over the last five years of his life, using the boxing analogy”.
Topics: News, Celebrity, Film and TV, Eminem
Charisa Bossinakis