50 Cent to executive produce Payday adaptation for film or TV

Rapper 50 Cent is set to bring the Payday franchise to the screen. Starbreeze, in partnership with Vice Studios, has struck a deal with Curtis Jackson's G-Unit Film and Television to executive produce an adaptation of the heist game series. Whether the project will be a television show or a feature film has not been specified yet.

The collaboration between Starbreeze and Vice was first announced in March, with both companies saying they intended to adapt Payday "for audiences beyond games, across screen and other formats." The latest announcement confirms G-Unit's involvement but adds no further details on the project's format.

Jackson said his company has built crime stories that resonate with global audiences. He described the partnership with Starbreeze and Vice Studios as a chance to create "a high-energy franchise that pushes the heist genre forward."

Starbreeze CEO Adolf Kristjansson noted that Payday has always been about "the fantasy of getting away with it" and stressed that G-Unit's approach is not about playing it safe. He said the goal is to do justice to the franchise with people as immersed in its world as the studio itself.

It remains unclear how this deal relates to Starbreeze's 2023 agreement with production company Stockholm Syndrome to develop a Payday story for TV or film. That project was not mentioned in today's announcement, and whether the new partnership follows on from it or replaces it entirely is unknown. PC Gamer has reached out to Starbreeze for clarification.