When Mary J. Blige said she’s not just surviving but thriving, she meant it. The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul has landed a leading role in a spin-off to 50 Cent’s hit drama series Power.
During the Television Critics Association press tour on Friday (July 26), the show’s creator and co-showrunner Courtney A. Kemp revealed the new collaboration between Blige, 50 Cent and herself.
“Today, we are pleased to announce that we are in pre-production on the first of what we know will be a collection of series inspired by the dynamic world of Power,” said Kemp at the TCA summit. “Power Book II: Ghost will continue the journey of some of Power’s most controversial characters.”
Although the details surrounding Blige’s role in Power Book II: Ghost are top-secret, it didn’t stop her from uploading a photo with her two new partners on her Instagram, captioning, “This is POWER. #MJBTypeSummer.”
50 Cent expressed his own excitement about Blige being on board for the pre-sequel. “I had to bring something big to Power, I went and got the best @therealmaryjblige to star in Power Book II “the show must go on,” he wrote on Instagram.
Blige, who is currently on a co-headlining Royalty Tour with Nas, has several acting roles and projects in the works. For her third MAC Cosmetics venture, she designed a limited-edition lipstick to celebrate the 25th anniversary of My Life. She is set to star in the upcoming films Body Cam and The Violent Heart. She also signed an exclusive first-look television deal with Lionsgate.
Beyond her business and acting endeavors, Blige is working on three music projects. At this point, there aren’t many details available about the mysterious projects, but we did compile a list of everything we know about them — plus some predictions.