50 Cent, Isaac Wright Jr. and cast dish on new legal drama 'For Life' and its impact
"For Life," a new legal drama inspired by the true story of Isaac Wright Jr., premieres on ABC tonight. It's the story of Aaron Wallace, a man wrongfully imprisoned who studies the law while he's incarcerated and steps in to defend his fellow inmates.
Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, executive producer on the series, said that when Wright, who is now a lawyer, told him about his journey and eventual exoneration, he immediately knew it should be made into a series.
"I felt like, that two hours wouldn't do [his] story justice," Jackson told ABC Audio. "I said, 'Nah, it's a TV show.'"
Wright, who says he was content that the "most important parts of this story will be told," confirmed that 50 Cent was the one who envisioned the series, adding, "This is something that people are going to want to hear and see every week."
50 Cent also had a vision for the show's cast. Joy Bryant, who plays the estranged wife of the wrongly imprisoned Wallace, had previously starred alongside 50 Cent in his 2005 loosely based biopic, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'." Bryant said working with 50 Cent again was definitely a "no-brainer."
"I'm very proud of how far he's come, and he's killing it," Bryant says of 50 Cent. "I think the fact that he recognized this amazing story and felt the need to help bring it to the world is extraordinary and a testament to his growth as not just an actor, really, but as a producer and a content creator."
Nicholas Pinnock, who plays Wallace, adds that the series "goes beyond" Isaac's story.
"Even if you haven't been through any of these things any of these people have been through, there are strands of loss, injustice, fighting for something that you can identify with," he says.
"For Life" premieres at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.
