The long-rumored film is set to be directed by Craig Brewer (“Hustle and Flow”).
The story of Snoop Dogg is coming to the biggest screen near you next summer.
“Snoop,” the working title for the biopic about the life and legend of the West Coast rapper and multihyphenate, is due out next August, according to Universal Pictures. While its biggest competition might be “The Bluey Movie,” Snoop’s film is set to be the “definitive biopic of the artist, mogul and icon of gangsta rap.”
According to Variety, “Outer Banks” star Jonathan Daviss has been tapped to play Snoop, who burst onto the scene as a protege of Dr. Dre with his guest appearance on the 1992 single “Deep Cover.” After his star turn on Dre’s “The Chronic” in 1992, Snoop would become a global phenomenon with the 1993 release of his debut album, “Doggystyle.” Over the course of the next 30 years, he’d evolve from being one of the faces of gangsta rap to a pitchman who could be everything from an Olympics correspondent to a frequent collaborator of Martha Stewart.
While it’s unclear if the film will follow the trend of other notable musical biopics like “Michael” and “Straight Outta Compton” in focusing on the entire career of Snoop or zeroing in on a specific chapter of the legendary rapper’s life, the movie will be the first in Universal Studios’ partnership with Death Row Pictures, Snoop’s content label.
Craig Brewer (“Hustle and Flow”) is set to direct the movie, and Snoop will serve as one of the executive producers alongside Brian Grazer (“8 Mile”) and others.
Earlier this year at CinemaCon, Daviss joined Snoop onstage to discuss the movie.
“After my brothers got to tell their story with ‘Straight Outta Compton,’ now it’s my turn,” Snoop told the crowd. “My director, Craig Brewer, he just showed us how hard it is out here for a pimp from ‘Hustle & Flow.’ And then last year, he got us all singing ‘Sweet Caroline.’”
The August 6, 2027, release date is somewhat ironic as it is nearly 12 years to the day that “Straight Outta Compton” was released in theaters. That film, directed by F. Gary Gray, currently holds the title of the highest-grossing hip-hop biopic of all time after debuting at No. 1 with $60.2 million in its opening frame before finishing up with a final gross of more than $200 million worldwide.
