Just as she was set to make a splash starring in the upcoming comedy Assisted Living, Cardi B has pulled out of the project. According to Deadline, the “WAP” rapper dropped out of the movie because she’s overextended. Since this has all happened just a week before filming was set to begin, studio Paramount Players has temporarily scrapped the film.
Assisted Living was set to feature Cardi as “a low-level criminal on the run when she’s wrongly accused of a crime. She has to stay free long enough to prove her innocence and holes up at her grandmother’s retirement home. She fits in with the help of some old-lady prosthetics.” Well, maybe this is all for the best, because that does not sound good.
Having a star pull out of a project this late into the proceedings can sometimes lead to legal problems. However, sources tell Deadline that things could still come together later in the year. Overall, this just isn’t a good look for Cardi. Dropping out a week before filming starts doesn’t give the production company time to find someone else, causing delays and costing money. The cast and crew are also committed to the movie, meaning they don’t have other work lined up.
As we previously reported at The Root, Cardi started the year by suing YouTuber Latasha Kebe, aka Tasha K, for mounting a “malicious campaign” against the rapper. Kebe posted videos claiming that Cardi contracted herpes and that she put her unborn child in harm with drug use. In the end, Kebe was found liable for “defamation, two other forms of wrongdoing, invasion of privacy through portrayal in a false light, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.” Kebe must pay Cardi $1.25 million in damages and $3 million in punitive damages and legal fees–for a total of $4.25 million.
In addition to this ongoing legal battle, the Hustlers actress is also raising her children and we assume working on music, so it makes sense that she feels like she needs to take a step back. Unfortunately, putting an entire production in jeopardy at the eleventh hour isn’t exactly the best way to start a big movie career.