Snoop Dogg Biopic in the Works From Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Writer
Snoop Dogg is the focus of a new biopic from Universal Pictures. The Billboard Music Award-winning artist came onto the music scene in the early 1990s, collaborating with Dr. Dre for his first solo album The Chronic. Since then, Snoop Dogg has been a fixture in the hip-hop game as well as in Hollywood, making several appearances in motion pictures and television shows. His career and life will be documented in a biopic from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever co-writer Joe Robert Cole and director Allen Hughes. Snoop Dogg is also a producer on the project alongside Sara Ramaker and Hughes. The Snoop Dogg biopic is the first project to launch from the entertainer's Death Row Pictures.
"I waited a long time to put this project together because I wanted to choose the right director, the perfect writer, and the greatest movie company I could partner with that could understand the legacy that I'm trying to portray on screen, and the memory I'm trying to leave behind," Snoop said in a statement. "It was the perfect marriage. It was holy matrimony, not holy macaroni."
"Snoop Dogg's life and legacy makes him one of the most exciting and influential icons in popular culture," stated Donna Langley, chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group. "We met with Snoop shortly after he acquired Death Row Records and had the opportunity to hear his story in his own words. We are humbled to be able to create the lasting document of this singular artist."
Allen Hughes and his brother Albert are both from Southern California and were the directors behind Menace II Society and Dead Presidents. Hughes is also behind the Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine HBO documentary The Defiant Ones. Of course, Universal also released Straight Outta Compton, which documented the notorious West Coast hip-hop act N.W.A. featuring Dr. Dre and Ice Cube. Before Straight Outta Compton there was 8 Mile featuring Eminem.
"Snoop Dogg is one of the most internationally beloved figures in hip-hop," states Hughes. "There's just something about his energy that brings people of all walks of life together. Snoop Dogg, not just the artist, but the man and his brand, has transcended generations with his connection and appeal to audiences. His story is so authentic and utterly inspiring, and to have the opportunity to tell his story allows me to go back to the hood 30 years after Menace II Society, and say more now than I could then."
"I've been a fan of Snoop since Deep Cover," says Cole. "His music and the films of Allen Hughes have left an indelible mark on me over my life. What excites me most is the humanity of Snoop's journey to international icon. Universal has proven they can guide a movie like this to something special. I'm proud to be a part of the team."
Photo credit via Catherine Powell/Getty Images for MTV/Paramount Global