''Half Past Dead'' may have lived up to its name at the box office by grossing a feeble $7.8 million in its opening weekend, but star Ja Rule (real name: Jeffrey Atkins) won't be letting this career fumble slow him down.
Rule, who previously appeared in ''The Fast and the Furious'' and ''Turn It Up,'' has already lined up roles in a number of new projects: He joins his ''Furious'' costar Vin Diesel in the ''Pitch Black'' sequel, ''The Chronicles of Riddick,'' and stars in the upcoming dramas ''Crime Partners'' (with Snoop Dogg and Ice-T) and ''Bone Deep,'' which he describes as ''the New York version of 'Heat.'''
But Ja Rule isn't content to just stand in front of the camera. He's also written a screenplay. ''It's called 'Shades of Color,''' he tells EW.com. ''It's about a white singer who's trying to get into the music industry, and she falls in love with her label owner, who's a black guy. It's a love story.'' The 26-year-old rapper will also star.
And what's his secret to taming Hollywood? ''On a video shoot, I'm running around, getting drunk, getting high, having a good time,'' says Ja Rule. ''But acting is a job, and you have to be focused.''
