Reality Bites: Jackson/Evans Postponed

There’s still no studio-official confirmation that Quinton Jackson has been cast in the pervasively-mentioned “A-Team” remake. But regardless of Jackson’s acting ambitions, his planned December 12 fight with Rashad Evans is absolutely, irrevocably off.

“It’s definitely off on the 12th,” Evans told Sherdog.com radio host Bruce Buffer. “I am [going to fight him], but not when I’m supposed to. He’s kind of getting sidetracked taking other opportunities above fighting.”

Jackson couldn’t have placed the UFC in a more awkward position: with Evans and Jackson the coaches of this season’s “Ultimate Fighter,” the company is looking at 12 weeks of pre-event hype for no event. Worse, Jackson is jilting a company already afflicted by the fall/winter absence of major players Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva, both out due to injury.

Charisma in combat sports doesn’t necessarily translate to the screen. (Ali was inarguably the most electric prizefighter of all time…and inarguably the worst actor.) No one should knock Jackson for seizing an opportunity to play the Hollywood game, but breaking a pre-existing commitment in your day job to moonlight doesn’t usually sit well with employers. If producers called once, they’d probably call again. And passing on a remake of “The A-Team,” a film based on a series best enjoyed by monster-truck enthusiasts, isn’t exactly turning down Scorsese.