UFC's Quinton Jackson to play B. A. Baracus in "The A-Team" movie remake

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Feb 7, 2006
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Former UFC champion Quinton Jackson has been cast as B. A. Baracus in a film remake of the popular 1980s action/adventure television series, "The A-Team," according to The Sun.

The legendary role was first played on the small screen by Mr. T during the series' five-season television run from 1983 to 1987.

The film, currently in pre-production, is slated for a June 2010 release.

Although Jackson has not been officially announced as part of the project, Oscar nominee Liam Neeson (playing the role of Col. John "Hannibal" Smith) and "The Hangover" star Bradley Cooper (Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck) are confirmed for the film, which is directed by Joe Carnahan.

In the original version of "The A-Team," a group of former Vietnam War-era United States Army Special Forces work as soldiers of fortune while running from the military "for a "crime they didn't commit."

In the remake, the characters are ex-soldiers of the Iraq War who look to clear their names from a similar offense.

Jackson is no stranger to Hollywood and has had small parts in a variety of recent films and TV shows, including "Never Surrender," "Hell's Chain" and "The King of Queens." Also reportedly in the running for the B. A. Baracus role were Tyrese Gibson and rapper The Game.

Jackson served as a coach on "The Ultimate Fighter 10," which recently concluded taping and debuts next month on Spike TV. He then fights rival coach Rashad Evans in December at UFC 107 in Memphis.

It's not known how the filming schedule may affect his fighting career, though given the size of the role, Jackson will likely need a decent amount of time away from the cage.
 
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Dana White discusses Quinton Jackson on "The A-Team," no fan of fighter-thespians

PORTLAND, Ore. – Dana White wants to make one thing very clear: He's no fan of fighters who also want to launch simultaneous acting careers.

While the likes of Randy Couture, Heath Herring and Georges St-Pierre have appeared in recent Hollywood flicks, the UFC president was none too pleased when he learned Quinton Jackson will reportedly play the role of B. A. Baracus in a film remake of "The A-Team."

The fact that the gig could force Jackson out of UFC 107's planned main event with Rashad Evans has the UFC's head honcho downright steamed.

White was asked about Jackson's rumored deal during Thursday's UFC 102 pre-event press conference in Portland, Ore. (As of now, producers have not officially announced Jackon's participation in the film, which also stars Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper with a June 2010 release.)

"I hate it with a [expletive] passion," White said when asked about UFC fighters who take movie roles. "'You're a fighter; you're not a movie star.' It's so [expletive] funny because fighters want to be movie stars, and movie stars want to act like they're fighters. 'Get a [expletive] grip. You're a fighter, and you're a [expletive] movie star. Alright?'"

Jackson recently wrapped the taping of "TUF 10," the latest season of the UFC's reality series on which he served as a rival coach to Evans. The duo's long-brewing feud was expected to be settled on Dec. 12. That's the date UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner recently told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) the organization would head to Memphis' FedExForum for an event in Jackson's hometown.

Instead of movie roles, White said Jackson should have more pressing concerns and that any Hollywood aspirations should wait until retirement.

"'Guess what Rashad Evans is thinking about right now,'" White said he plans to tell Jackson. "'He's thinking about beating your [expletive] ass. He's not sitting around thinking about how him and his mom used to watch the [expletive] 'Love Boat' together and (how) he wants to get the role of Isaac the bartender.

"'Get a [expletive] grip, dude. You're going to make a lot of money. You ain't going to make a lot of money playing B.A. Baracus on 'The A-Team.' Jesus Christ. This [expletive] drives me [expletive] nuts.' So yeah, I'm not a big fan of fighters doing movies. When your career is over, if you turn into a movie star, that's awesome."

White said the matter will be discussed internally this weekend while Jackson is in town for UFC 102, which takes place Saturday at the Rose Garden Arena.