Universal Pictures‘ Snoop Dogg biopic movie is blazing a path toward bringing the rap legend’s life to the screen.
The superstar rapper surprised the audience by kicking off the studio’s presentation with a performance of hits “Drop It Like Its Hot” and “Gin and Juice.” He also brought out actor Jonathan Daviss to the stage for a brief appearance to introduce the Outer Banks star who will play him in the planned feature.
“After my brothers got to tell their story with Straight Outta Compton, now it’s my turn,” Snoop said about the studio’s N.W.A movie. “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 music star continued, “If we gonna do a Snoop Dogg movie, I gotta get gangster with it,” before leading into an excerpt from “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang.” He also performed a snippet of “Deep Cover.”
Snoop said of the film, “My movie is going to be rated R, I guarantee that. So get your parents’ permission.”
The star was wearing a Universal necklace and touted himself as a part of the studio’s family: “I got a trailer on the lot right next to [Steven] Spielberg. There goes the mother-fucking neighborhood. They called the fire department on me two times already, but it wasn’t fire. Smoke, baby.”
He then introduced Universal film boss Donna Langley by saying, “All hail the queen,” and gave her a matching necklace to his own.
The feature project from director Craig Brewer stars Outer Banks actor Jonathan Daviss in the lead role. Brewer (Song Sung Blue, Hustle & Flow) revised the script that was previously penned by Joe Robert Cole and tells the story of Calvin Broadus Jr.’s eventful journey along his path to fame as Snoop Dogg.
Universal’s previous movies about notable hip-hop artists include 2015’s Oscar-nominated Straight Outta Compton, which surpassed $200 million at the global box office and features LaKeith Stanfield as Snoop.
Producers include Snoop Dogg, Brian Grazer and Death Row Pictures president Sara Ramaker. This will be the first project through Death Row Pictures’ overall deal with NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios.
Davis is known for his breakthrough role as Pope Heyward on the Netflix adventure series Outer Banks, which has been picked up for a fifth and final season. The actor also appeared in the Netflix feature Do Revenge.
Snoop Dogg is a 17-time Grammy-nominated artist who has also become a television and film mainstay. His debut album, Doggystyle, debuted in 1993 from Death Row Records and counts Dr. Dre as the sole producer, spawning the hit singles “What’s My Name?” and “Gin and Juice.”
Biopic films about prominent music stars remain a priority for Hollywood. Lionsgate’s Michael Jackson movie hits theaters this month, while Sony is set to release four films about the Beatles in 2028. A slew of other projects about accomplished musicians are in the works.
CinemaCon is the annual event for exhibitors and Hollywood studios that runs this year from April 13-16. It is the official convention of Cinema United.