Ice Cube and Three Kings director developing Dirty Harry-style cop franchise

According to Deadline, Ice Cube and his Three Kings director David O Russell are in negotiations with New Line to re-team and create a potential franchise, featuring the ‘Cube’ as a plainclothes detective who has no problem pulling the trigger if necessary. The project is described as an R-rated raw drama, and a throwback to 1970s revenge films like the Harry Callahan movies that starred Clint Eastwood. The idea was hatched by Russell and New Line chief Toby Emmerich, and they approached Cube with the concept. While Ice Cube is most readily identified with L.A., the cop’s jurisdiction hasn’t been determined, according to the report.

Russell may co-write the film, but New Line is expected to bring someone else in to get the project going. Russell recently re-teamed with Ice Cube’s Three Kings co-star Mark Wahlberg for The Fighter, which co-stars Christian Bale and hits theaters on December 10th.

Russell is developing several projects including Old St. Louis with Vince Vaughn and an adaptation of the Playstation 3 game Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, which he just came on to rewrite and direct for Sony.

Ice Cube is starring in Rampart, playing a detective who’s hot on the trail of a crooked LAPD officer at the center of a corruption scandal. The film is being directed by Oren Moverman from a James Ellroy script, with Sigourney Weaver, Robin Wright, Ben Foster and Steve Buscemi also starring.