Cynthia Erivo is set to portray one of hip-hop’s most influential figures as she joins the cast of Universal Pictures’ upcoming Snoop Dogg biopic, ‘Snoop’. The actor will play Afeni Shakur, the mother of late rapper Tupac Shakur.
The casting was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday. Erivo joins a film that will explore Snoop Dogg’s rise to fame and feature several prominent figures from the history of hip-hop.
Jonathan Daviss, known for Netflix’s ‘Outer Banks’, will play Snoop Dogg, while Camron Jones will portray Tupac.
The supporting cast includes Myles Bullock Be as Dr Dre, Lauren London as Snoop’s late mother Beverly Tate, Algee Smith as Warren G and Tre Hale as Suge Knight.
Laya DeLeon Hayes will play Snoop’s wife, Shante Broadus, while Olly Sholotan, Corey Champagne and Jonica Booth will portray Kurupt, Nate Dogg and The Lady of Rage respectively.
Afeni Shakur was a prominent activist and member of the Black Panther Party.
She became widely known for her political activism and her complicated relationship with her son, whose 1995 hit ‘Dear Mama’ paid tribute to her struggles and sacrifices as a mother.
Born Alice Faye Williams, Afeni joined the Black Panther Party in 1968. She was among the defendants in the Panther 21 case in New York and successfully defended herself against conspiracy charges. She died in 2016, aged 69.
Craig Brewer, known for directing ‘Hustle & Flow’ and ‘Song Sung Blue’, is directing ‘Snoop’. He has also written the latest screenplay draft, building on an original script by Joe Robert Cole, who worked on ‘Black Panther’ and ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’.
Snoop Dogg is producing the film alongside Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer and Allan Mandelbaum, as well as Death Row Pictures president Sara Ramaker.
The project will feature music from Snoop’s extensive catalogue.
Production is currently under way in Southern California. Universal Pictures has scheduled the film for a theatrical release on 6 August 2027.
For Erivo, the role follows her acclaimed portrayal of Elphaba in Universal’s ‘Wicked’ films. She earned several major award nominations for the performance, including an Academy Award nomination.
She is also set to appear in the film adaptation of the stage play ‘Prima Facie’ and the fantasy film ‘Children of Blood and Bone’.
