AceShowbiz -

Busta Rhymes was banned from a Manhattan movie set Saturday March 10th by police. The rap star was actually slated to co-star in the crime thriller "Order of Redemption" with Academy Award nominee Tom Berenger that began shooting over the weekend in New York and New Jersey.

The reason behind is public safety concerns. The Associated Press speculated the banning for Rhymes from the set might stem from the star's reluctance to cooperate with NYPD after his bodyguard was shot and killed on the set of the video shoot for his "Touch It (Remix)" single. Nevertheless, an NYPD spokesperson denied it, claiming the request came from the mayor's office and not the NYPD.

"This is tremendously unfair to Busta, who has been nothing but professional during this project," director Jeff Celentano said in a statement released through his publicist. "This is a bigger loss for the city of New York." Meanwhile, Rhymes' attorney could not be reached for comment.

Despite all, "The production agreed that Busta Rhymes would not be participating in the scenes shot here after the Police Department raised public safety concerns," Julianne Cho, the office of film spokesperson, confirmed. And so, shooting on the flick will continue in New York City on 14 nonconsecutive days into early April.