Andre 3000 to play Sammy Davis Jr.

Outkast rapper and actor signs on for one of four films chronicling the life of the famous singer, actor, and Rat Packer.

Andre 3000 is set to inhabit the role of one of the men who made it possible for him to do his thing in both music and film.

The Outkast rapper has signed on to play Sammy Davis Jr. in a biopic that is one of four forthcoming films chronicling the life of the famous singer, actor, and Rat Packer, according to the New York Times.

Andre 3000--real name Andre Benjamin--will play Davis in a movie that documents his romance with the blond actress Kim Novak, costar of the film Vertigo. Dubbed Sammy and Kim, the film will be directed by music video director Earle Sebastian and producer Damon Dash, who cofounded Rocafella Records with Jay-Z. The romance between Davis and Novak in the 1950s threatened to derail both their careers before the head of Columbia Pictures ordered Novak to end it.

But the film is just one of four Davis projects in the works, including one to be directed by Denzel Washington that is based on a Davis biography by Washington Post reporter Wil Haygood. Davis' widow Altovise Davis is championing a biopic of her own based on Yes, I Can, Davis' 1965 autobiography. A feature documentary based on Yes, I Can is also in preproduction.

Andre 3000 is also set to star in Battle in Seattle, a film about the 1999 World Trade Organization protests, as well as Semi-Pro, a basketball comedy starring Will Ferrell.

Although Andre 3000 has been focusing on acting more lately, he's made a number of guest appearances on hip-hop tracks in recent months, showing that his revered rhyme skills haven't wavered. In addition to guest turns on Devin the Dude's "What a Job" and the remix of Rich Boy's "Throw Some D's," Andre has appeared with Outkast partner Big Boi on "International Player's Anthem," a new track from UGK. The video for the track is below.