The Longest Yard: According to Variety, rap star Nelly will make his bigscreen debut in Paramount/Sony's The Longest Yard, which stars Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and Burt Reynolds.

Nelly, whose real name is Cornell Haynes Jr., will portray a running back for the prisoners' team alongside former NFL star Michael Irvin.

Production on "Yard," produced by Happy Madison and MTV Films, will begin later this month at the Old State Penitentiary in New Mexico, with Peter Segal directing a script by Sheldon Turner.