After starring as Whitey Bulger in 2015 film Black Mass, Johnny Depp is now set to take on the role of another real-life character. However, this time he will be on the other side of the law.
The 53-year-old actor has been tapped to portray Los Angeles police detective, Russell Poole, who investigated the murders of rappers Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Videos by ComicBook.com
The film will be titled Labyrinth, and will have Brad Furman (Lincoln Lawyer) directing the project. The screenplay was adapted by Christian Contreras based on the book LAbyrinth: A Detective Investigates the Murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., the Implication of Death Row Records’ Suge Knight, and the Origins of the Los Angeles Police Scandal.
Depp’s character, detective Russell Poole, spent months investigating the murder of Notorious B.I.G., whose real name is Christopher Wallace. Poole came to the conclusion that a group of “gangta cops in his own force were not only involved but were also tied to Death Row Records and the Bloods street gang.”
Based on his findings, Poole confronted the LAPD police chief and nearly went into early retirement in protest of the handling of the high-profile investigation.
For Johnny Depp, 2016 has been a hectic year for the actor as the details of the ongoing turmoil in his marriage and divorce to Amber Heard were made public.
The Pirates of the Caribbean actor will likely be looking to bounce back in big way in his personal life as well as onscreen with Brad Furman’s upcoming film Labyrinth after his most recent film was a box office bust (Alice Through The Looking Glass).
Are you excited to see Johnny Depp take on the role of police detective Russell Poole in the forthcoming movie about the murder investigations of Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur?
[H/T THR]
