"Tyrese lights up the screen in '2 Fast 2 Furious' with charisma and that X factor called star quality that simply can't be manufactured," stated Parent and Stuber. "We're thrilled to be continuing our association with him on what we feel will be a very exciting thriller and hopefully many other projects in the future."
"I'm delighted to be partnering with my friends at Universal on a new vehicle for this incredibly talented star," said Moritz. "'Extortion' has all of the elements of an exciting, hard-hitting film, and with Tyrese's high-voltage presence at the center, it promises to be one wild ride."
With a screenplay by John Jarrell ("Romeo Must Die") based upon an original story idea by Tyrese, "Extortion" is a contemporary urban crime thriller which explores the many criminal layers in Los Angeles. Tyrese will portray Trevor James, a street-hardened detective who risks his identity and cover by going deep into the most dangerous parts of the city to investigate his foster brother's apparent murder. As Trevor is lured further into the criminal underworld, he is forced to pass some merciless tests of morality and fidelity to earn the trust of the corrupt leader of a crime ring whose reach goes much further than Trevor ever imagined. With unrelenting action veering between glamorous mansions, intoxicating hip-hop clubs and the ruthless streets of inner-city L.A., "Extortion" tests the mettle of one man treading a razor's edge between fitting in and being found out.
Tyrese has experienced a meteoric rise in both music and motion pictures. He discovered his love of music at an early age and released his self-titled debut album at 19, which later achieved platinum status. In January 2000, he received an American Music Award for "Favorite Soul and R&B New Artist;" the same year he was honored with a Grammy nomination. His sophomore album, "2000 WATTS" (RCA), was released in May, 2001. The recording artist/model/actor recently released his third album (on J Records), featuring the first single "How You Gonna Act Like That," the biggest urban record of his career-the album recently reached platinum status. His brand of dynamic, upbeat music has graced several motion picture soundtracks, including "2 Fast 2 Furious" (a track featuring Ludacris and R. Kelly), "Blue Streak" and "Best Man."
In addition to his zest for music, he has also found success in the acting and modeling worlds, having appeared in international campaigns for such companies as Tommy Hilfiger and Coca-Cola, including an exclusive contract with Guess?. Tyrese took his career to another level when he made his feature film debut as the star of John Singleton's "Baby Boy." His other acting roles have included guest-starring appearances in several long-running television series, as well as a lengthy stint as one of MTV's favorite VJs.
Tyrese is also a dedicated community activist, focusing his efforts on assisting inner city youth. He founded a non-profit organization, the Tyrese Gibson Watts Foundation, whose ultimate goal is to build youth community centers in the city of Watts. In the summer of 2000, Tyrese started his own annual charity event, Watts Day, a fundraising performance by a group of artists giving back to the community in which they were raised.
