Cardi B Pulls Out Of Lead Role In $30M Paramount Movie A Week Before Shooting

Cardi B has reportedly dropped out of Assisted Living just one week before the movie was scheduled to begin production in New York.

According to Deadline, Cardi B exited her lead role due to being “overextended,” with film production label Paramount Players then pulling the plug on the $30 million comedy movie. Cast and crew were apparently told Assisted Living has at least temporarily been scratched.

The Bronx rapper/actress was set to play “a low-level criminal on the run when she’s wrongly accused of a crime. She has to stay free long enough to prove her innocence and holes up at her grandmother’s retirement home. She fits in with the help of some old-lady prosthetics.”

Paramount Players has pulled the plug on its comedy ‘Assisted Living’ after Cardi B backed away from the starring role.

The film was a week away from starting production, and other cast and crew were told the film has at least temporarily been halted.

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Deadline points out that when an actor drops out of a movie this late, legal action often follows. However, sources say they hope to figure things out later this year.

Paramount Pictures reportedly won a bidding war for Assisted Living in March 2019 in a high six to seven-figure deal. The script, written by Kay Oyegun (This Is Us), was described as “Sister Act meets Mrs. Doubtfire.” Temple Hill and Stephen Love were on board to produce the film, with Thembi Banks later signing on as the director.

Cardi B previously starred in 2019’s Hustlers alongside Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Stiles, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart and Lizzo, as well as 2021’s Fast & Furious 9. During an interview on The Ellen Show in 2019, she talked about the difference between being an actress and musician.

“I enjoyed it, and I couldn’t believe I was on set for like 16 hours,” Cardi B explained at the time. “Like, my God, is this what actors and actresses gotta through? Artists, we have long days but it’s just full of excitement. We move around, we doing something. You gotta wait in the trailer until it’s your turn, you gotta do the same scene like 20 times.”

When asked if she wouldn’t act again, she replied, “Oh, yes I am. Yup. I’m going to film for a movie this month. I enjoy the checks.”