After 8-Mile became a box office success in 2002, throngs of rap fans assumed Eminem would eventually take up a seasonal residence in the world of the film in conjunction with his more familiar address in rap music. In the immediate aftermath of 8-Mile, several rumors sprang up about projects that were tailored specifically for the rap superstar, but none of them materialized. Outside of a few cameo appearances in comedy films and rap documentaries, 8-Mile was basically Eminem's sole outing in the world of acting. However, had the dice rolled in a different direction, Em might have been the lead in a GTA film.
According to Hypebeast, we were super close to Eminem starring in a live-action adaptation of Grand Theft Auto until Rockstar games killed the deal. Considering that GTA V is the most profitable piece of media ever, it probably won't be long until we see a Grand Theft Auto movie sometime in the near future.
A Grand Theft Auto film starring Eminem was supposedly rejected by Rockstar Games in the early 2000s. In a recent appearance on Bugzy Malone's Grandest Game podcast, Kirk Ewing, an industry veteran and friend of GTA creators Sam and Dan Houser, explained that Sam turned down a $5 million USD offer for the movie rights just shortly after Grand Theft Auto III was released in 2001. Top Gun director Tony Scott was meant to helm the film while Eminem, who had just released The Marshall Mathers LP the year before and won Best Rap Album Best Rap Solo Performance at the 2001 GRAMMYs, was set to star. "[The agent] said, 'Kirk, we've got Eminem to star, and it's a Tony Scott film. $5 million on the nose. Are you interested?'" Ewing said. "And I phoned up Sam and I said: 'Listen to this. They want Eminem in the Grand Theft Auto movie and Tony Scott to direct.' And he said: 'Not interested' … They realized that the media franchise that they had was bigger than any movie that was going on at the time."
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