LL COOL J has expressed interest in making a new Deep Blue Sea movie.
The 56-year-old rapper and actor starred alongside Samuel L Jackson in the 1999 cult classic about genetically modified sharks on the loose. Two direct-to-video sequels followed in 2018 and 2020, though LL COOL J—real name James Todd Smith—did not appear in either.
He now says he would be open to reprising his role of bird-loving Sherman “Preacher” Dudley, telling The Standard: “Deep Blue Sea could be a lot of fun to revise, you know to do a new Deep Blue Sea.”
He added: “Also, In Too Deep could be fun to do a sequel.”
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Until that all-important call comes in, the I Need Love hit-maker - who popularised the term "GOAT" (Greatest of All Time) - says his current main focus is his music.
After a pro-longed period of pouring his energy into his on-screen work, including 14 seasons of military police procedural drama NCIS: Los Angeles, LL COOL J recently put out his first album in 11 years.
Titled The FORCE (an acronym for Frequencies of Real Creative Energy), his fourteenth studio album delivers a dynamic blend of modern sounds and classic Hip-Hop energy.
Asked if the prospect of releasing new music after so long was scary, the two-time Grammy Award winner delivered one of his trademark philosophical answers.
“It wasn’t necessarily scary, look, you always risk looking stupid if you put out new music because you know you can lose a step creatively or miss the mark and people don’t connect with it so that’s always a possibility,” he began. “But the thing is, you can’t win if you’re not willing to risk failing. As an artist, the success comes when you release the music, that’s for me, you know what I’m saying so yeah, it’s pressure but pressure make diamonds, you know what I’m saying. We just put the people out and let people decide. I like it and that’s all I can do. Once you do that you’re comfortable in it then you’re skin with it.”
He certainly took the attitude of go big or go home with his choice of collaborators with The FORCE featuring the likes of Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Saweetie, Busta Rhymes, Fat Joe and Rick Ross.
“It was cool because everybody that I reached out to it was about the song, it wasn’t just about ‘yo, you’re famous, I’m famous, let’s make a song!’ It was like yo, the song made sense, the vibe made sense, the topic, sonically it just felt like something I thought the artist would wanna be a part of and so we did it,” he said.
Declaring with a huge smile across his face that “life is beautiful” right now, the rapper says he’s keen to get some live dates in the diary.
“I want to come back to the UK and do some live music here for people and put the energy out there, you know what I’m saying. I can’t wait, 2025 I’d like to come out here and do some live music for y’all.
The New York native has a particularly fond place in his heart for London too.
“I think it looks like if New York was a suit and tie, London is a formal tuxedo,” he mused. “Now, the UK is totally different, you know what I’m saying. It’s a big place with lots of different cultural differences and nuances but in terms of New York and London, that’s what it is to me.”
Of his latest visit to the capital, he said: “The vibe is right, nice brisk air, I’m feeling good.”
The self-professed “food fan” also can’t wait to hit Brick Lane for a “curry chicken”
Adding: “Big fan of a curry, staff included.”
LL COOL J’s album The Force is out now.
