Joey Bada$$ is setting the record straight after a fake promotional poster for a supposed reboot of Paid in Full began circulating online.
The mock image, which quickly gained traction across social media, claimed to tease an upcoming Paid in Full TV series starring Joey alongside Michael Rainey Jr., Damson Idris, and Lakeith Stanfield. But Joey wasted no time calling out the rumor as completely false.
"I hate to break it to y'all people but this is fake news. Look at me, who is that man," Joey said in an Instagram video reacting to the poster. "That ain't me."
He later reinforced his point in the caption of the post, poking fun at how realistic the fake announcement looked.
"Internet got a bigger budget than Hollywood I guess 🤷🏾♂️ Fake News! 📰 #paidinfull #power #raisingkanan #ghost #snowfall," he wrote in the caption of the post.
The viral confusion comes weeks after 50 Cent revealed that a real Paid in Full reboot is officially in development, though it won't feature the cast shown in the fake poster.
The rapper-turned-TV mogul announced on Instagram that he recently secured the rights to the cult classic film and plans to reimagine it as a premium television series.
"I now have the rights to PAID IN FULL, im developing it into a premium Tv show," 50 wrote. "If you like God Father of Harlem your gonna love this. Cam set to Executive produce along side me, if you want in get at him I'm out of the country."
The "Cam" referenced is Cam'ron, who famously played Rico in the original 2002 movie. Paid in Full also starred Wood Harris as Ace and Mekhi Phifer as Mitch, characters inspired by real-life Harlem drug figures Azie Faison Jr. and Richard Porter.
The original film was co-produced by Jay-Z and Dame Dash. However, it's widely believed Dash won't be involved in the reboot due to his ongoing feud with 50 Cent.
While fans are eager for updates on casting and story details for the upcoming series, Joey Bada$$ made it clear that the viral poster making the rounds online is nothing more than internet fiction.
For now, the only confirmed Paid in Full project in the works is 50 Cent's upcoming TV adaptation, with Cam'ron attached as an executive producer and no official cast revealed yet.