By Leslie Simmons

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Teen R&B star Chris Brown is in final negotiations to join Matt Dillon and rapper T.I. in the thriller "Bone Deep."

The Screen Gems project revolves around a group of criminals who plan a major heist at a money depot, with two detectives hot on their trail. Brown will play one of the members of the heist crew.

He made his feature film debut with the low-budget studio's "Stomp the Yard," which grossed more than $60 million (30.4 milion pounds) at the domestic boxoffice last year, and co-starred in November's holiday film "This Christmas," which brought in $49 million. He's also attached to star in the studio's sports drama "Phenom."

Brown hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart with the tunes "Run It!" and "Kiss Kiss."

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter