LONDON - England football stars Rio Ferdinand and Ashley Cole attended the premiere of "Dead Man Running", a new British gangster film they produced.

The pair joined the cast from the movie on the red carpet Thursday in London's Leicester Square, the home of British film premieres.

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, 30, put up the money for the film, which stars Tamer Hassan, a friend from the same tough estate in Peckham, south London.

However, his involvement came on condition that 15 work placements were found for disadvantaged youngsters he supports through his Rio Ferdinand Live the Dream Foundation.

"We're in the credit crunch so getting the children some work was the main element for me when I spoke to the director," the centre-half said.

"I said: 'Can you please make sure the children get a chance?' Now they're going to be involved in future projects so it's going to be a win-win situation for everybody involved."

The film stars US rapper 50 Cent and London actor Danny Dyer.

Co-producer Cole, the Chelsea full-back, said: "I never thought I'd see my name in the credits of a film... but I'm not counting this, it's only small writing on the poster."

It is not Ferdinand's first foray into showbusiness.

He fronted "Rio's World Cup Wind-Ups"' in 2006, which saw him pull pranks on England team-mates, including Cole, David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Gary Neville and Peter Crouch, finished off with the catchphrase: "You got merked".