Cardi B Backs Out Of Lead Role In $30 Million Paramount Film

Cardi B is a busy woman nowadays. Between scheduled appearances at festivals like Wireless Fest 2022 and tending to her daughter and newborn son, it's understandable that the top-charting rapper may feel overwhelmed by her jam-packed schedule. That might be why she's reportedly stepping away from a major opportunity to strengthen her acting career.

According to a report Deadline published Thursday, March 10, Bardi decided not to continue as the leading role in the Paramount film Assisted Living. In light of the news, Paramount halted all operations on the movie, which was valued at $30 million, just a week before production was set to begin in New York.

Assisted Living is a comedy that follows a low-level criminal (Cardi B) who takes off on the run after she's wrongly accused of a crime. In an effort to stay out of police custody, the suspect takes refuge in her grandmother's nursing home by posing as a patient with the help of some hilariously legit prosthetics. The film has been likened to previous classic comedies like Mrs. Doubtfire and Sister Act. Prior to this role, Bardi also starred in the 2019 film Hustlers alongside Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Lizzo, Keke Palmer and more.

Sources tell the outlet that the reason Cardi pulled out was because of her "overextended" schedule. Regardless of the reason, any actor or actress who pulls out of a film right before production usually faces some type of legal action. At this time, there's no confirmation on whether such action will be taken in this case. Although cast and crew members were told that the film was temporarily nixed, there's still hope that the film's production can pick up where they left off later this year.