Rapper/actor Common is making the transition from movie theatres to the small screen - he's landed his first leading role in a new TV series.

The Go! Hit-maker, real name Lonnie Lynn, Jr., recently starred as Queen Latifah's leading man in romantic comedy Just Wright, the first film which saw him take top billing alongside his fellow hip-hop star-turned-actress.

However, Common is now set to go back in time to play Elam, a freed slave, in contemporary western Hell on Wheels on the AMC network, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

The pilot will be shot later this year.

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