50 Cent, Forest Whitaker, Abel Ferrara Raise Crazy Jekyll & Hyde Stakes

Screw Cannes: The most historic movie news of the week is unfolding here at home, where Abel Ferrara is reportedly planning to direct an adaptation of Jekyll and Hyde with Forest Whitaker and Curtis Jackson as the warring split personalities. I repeat: Abel Ferrara. Will direct 50 Cent. As Mr. Hyde. And of course it gets even more mindblowing than that.

Coming after last week's news of the upcoming Keanu Reeves/Nicholas Winding Refn Hyde adaptation, Ferrara's project seems almost like an act of aggression -- the first punch in an unprecedented world-cinema throwdown between the iconoclastic New Yorker and the young Danish filmmaker who bears so much of his gritty, violent influence.

Assuming both films are ever even made, stand back: The batshit quotient of their duel could reach record highs. Just when Refn seems to have the edge with studio backing and a blank-ish, unlikely leading man, the wily indie Ferrara decides to morph Forest Whitaker (who knows a thing or two about playing psychos) into a hip-hop Hyde. Refn will no doubt strike back, and hard -- Hamlet-style, perhaps, with a sudden spark after much deliberation. In other words, Eminem's agent should be getting a call right.. about... now.

· Ferrara to transform Jekyll [Variety]