Snoop Dogg has officially confirmed that his long-awaited biopic is on the way, surprising fans at CinemaCon in Las Vegas with a live performance and the big reveal of the actor who will play him.
The rap legend kicked off the Universal Pictures presentation with a medley of his biggest hits, including Leave it like it’s hot and Gin and juicebefore bringing Outer benches star Jonathan Daviss on stage.
Daviss, best known for his role as Pope Heyward on the hit Netflix series, has been cast as young Calvin Broadus Jr. as the film follows his eventful journey to global stardom.
The film will be a raw, unfiltered look at the artist’s life, and Snoop guarantees the project will be rated R.
Drawing comparisons to Universal’s previous hip-hop hit, Straight from ComptonThe rapper told the crowd that after his “brothers” told their story, it was finally his turn.
He also made fun of his new life as part of the studio family, joking that he has a trailer in the lot right next to Steven Spielberg and that the firefighters have already called him twice, not for fire, he clarified, but for smoke.
Director Craig Brewer, the man behind Hustle and flow and last year blue sung songis leading the project and has revised the script originally written by Joe Robert Cole.
Snoop is producing the film alongside industry heavyweight Brian Grazer and Death Row Pictures president Sara Ramaker.
The biopic marks the first project under Death Row Pictures’ overall deal with NBCUniversal, following on the heels of the studio’s 2015 hit NWA in which LaKeith Stanfield briefly took on the role of Snoop.
With Hollywood currently obsessed with musical biopics, including the new Michael Jackson movie released this month and future projects centered on the Beatles, this R-rated look at the 17-time Grammy nominee is a high priority for Universal.
Snoop finished his energetic set by introducing Universal film chief Donna Langley as “the queen” and gifting her with a matching studio necklace.
While the film does not yet have a release date, the rapper made it clear that he intends to “go gangster” to ensure his story is told with the authenticity his fans expect.
