Bajan singer Rihanna is temporarily setting the microphone aside and jumping to the silver screen in a big way.
According to Variety, Rihanna and Universal have inked a deal that will see her co-star in the upcoming big screen adaptation of Hasbro’s Battleship game alongside Alexander Skarsgard (True Blood) and Taylor Kitsch (X-Men Origins: Wolverine). Her character is currently unknown but will likely serve as the female lead in the film.
The Battleship film adds an extraterrestrial element to the naval combat premise where two brothers (Skarsgard and Kitch) will attempt to fend off an alien invasion over land, sea and air (not to be confused with G.I. Joe’s anthem).
For Rihanna, the move echoes a similar one made by singer Tina Turner in 1985 when she surprisingly jumped into the role of Auntie Entity alongside Mel Gibson in the action flick Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Rihanna could have just as easily – if not more easily – followed Jennifer Lopez, Taylor Swift and countless others who cut their teeth (in the case of Swift, still cutting teeth) on drama and romantic comedies when making the leap from music to film.
Director Peter Berg is expected to begin shooting Battleship shortly in Hawaii where Disney is currently in production on Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Battleship will set sail on May 25, 2012, three weeks after Marvel rolls out The Avengers movie.
