Snoop Dogg is getting the big-screen biopic treatment.
Universal is telling Snoop’s — whos real name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr — story and have enlisted Allen Hughes to direct the feature and Joe Robert Cole to pen the story. Snoop is very much apart of this project which will feature his expansive music catalogue.
He is also producing the feature along with Sara Ramaker and Hughes. The project will mark the inaugural film from Snoop’s Death Row Pictures, which he runs with Ramaker.
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“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,” said Snoop in a statement. “It was the perfect marriage. It was holy matrimony, not holy macaroni.”
Snoop rose to fame in the early 1990s West Coast rap scene thanks to his feature on Dr. Dre’s debut single, “Deep Cover”, and then on Dre’s landmark debut solo album, “The Chronic.” He has sold more than 35 million albums worldwide, is a 17-time Grammy nominee, and an Emmy winner. His career is one that is extremely versatile and he enjoys the titles such as rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, producer, DJ, media personality, and entrepreneur (including tech and entertainment investments, and lifestyle, food and beverage and cannabis brands).
He has played himself in countless series and appeared in movies such as Training Day, Starsky & Hutch and this summer’s Jamie Foxx vampire action movie Day Shift.
“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.”
Hughes is best known for directing the 90s hit movies Menace II Society and Dead Presidents alongside his brother Albert. In 2017, he tackled the music scene by directing The Defiant Ones, the award-winning four-part HBO documentary focused on Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine.
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“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.”
Cole’s screenwriting credits include co-writing both Black Panther and its upcoming sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. He also was writer-producer on the Emmy-winning FX series American Crime Story: The People vs. OJ Simpson; he received an Emmy nomination for writing the episode “The Race Card.”
“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.”
Mike Knobloch, NBCUniversal’s President of Music and Publishing will supervise the project’s music. Universal’s SVP of Production Development Ryan Jones will oversee the project for the studio.
This will be the third hip hop movie Universal puts out. They previously released 2015’s Straight Outta Compton which centered on N.W.A. The film grossed over $200 million and earned an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay. Universal also released 8 Mile in 2002, it told a thinly veiled autobiographical story of Eminem and his rise in an industry and genre dominated by Black artists. That movie grossed over $250 million and won the Oscar for best original song with “Lose Yourself.”