Beyoncé, Mos Def Wrap Carmen Shoot
February 13 -- Destiny's Child leader Beyoncé Knowles and rapper Mos Def wrapped the shooting of an MTV special movie, Carmen: A Hip-Hopera, yesterday in Los Angeles.
Knowles stars in the title role, opposite actor Mekhi Phifer (Clockers, Shaft), while Mos Def appears as "the bad guy," according to director Robert Townsend.
The movie adapts a 19th century opera by George Bizet, about a romance between a gypsy woman who works in a cigarette factory and a soldier in the Spanish army. The opera was previously adapted for the 1943 stage musical Carmen Jones, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge subsequently starred in a 1954 film version.
"I know it's hard to redo movies, but this definitely is hot," Knowles says. "The music is wonderful, the actors are wonderful, and I was excited and honored to be a part of this project."
Townsend, who has directed Hollywood Shuffle and B*A*P*S, says the movie's music is one of its most exciting achievements.
"It's all new music, but the gentleman who did all the music [Kip Collins ], he sprinkled in some of the music from Carmen — but it's all original songs," he says. "Just wait till you hear the soundtrack, it's incredible what they've done. And I've really got to give it up because Beyoncé is a singer, she's rapping, Mekhi is rapping, so they're wearing double hats."
Da Brat narrates the story, and 13-year-old rapper Lil' Bow Wow and his producer, Jermaine Dupri, also have small roles.
"Lil' Bow Wow and Jermaine Dupri are the catalysts that start our whole story," Townsend says. "One of Lil' Bow Wow's friends has stolen a car — and he's like, 'Man, we shouldn't do this,' and he gets set up by the dirty cop. That leads to a song with him talking about how he wasn't dirty, and it deals with a rap with Mekhi, and they're in jail together."
Though Knowles didn't write any of the new music, she says "it has a lot of Destiny's Child flavor." Townsend adds that the singer took an active part, with producer Mike Elliot, in the creation of the overall sound.
