Snoop Dogg Biopic Coming Together At Universal And Death Row Pictures

Hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg will soon be the subject of his own big-screen biopic. Per The Hollywood Reporter, a new Snoop Dogg biopic is in the works at Universal Pictures. Universal Pictures announced the upcoming project this week, which will be the definitive biopic of the iconic rapper and entertainment maven.

The film looks to have a strong pedigree behind it as it will be directed by veteran filmmaker Allen Hughes ("Menace II Society," "The Book of Eli") and written by "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" scribe Joe Robert Cole ("American Crime Story," "Amber Lake," "All Day and a Night").

Snoop himself will be heavily involved with the project, which will utilize music from his catalog. The rapper is also producing the biopic under his Death Row Pictures banner. This will be the inaugural film from Death Row Pictures, which Snoop currently runs along with Sara Ramaker.

Snoop, nee Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., shot up to superstardom in the 1990s in the West Coast rap scene due to his collaborations with Dr. Dre and his albums "Doggystyle" and "The Doggfather." His media profile increased with a vast entertainment empire, and he also became a prolific onscreen actor, DJ, and entrepreneur.

Snoop Dogg has sold 35 million albums worldwide and is a 17-time Grammy Award nominee. He won a Primetime Emmy Award this year for "The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show" for Outstanding Variety Special. He's also worked on many films throughout his career, including "Training Day," "Starsky & Hutch," "Baby Boy," and "Pitch Perfect 2." Most recently, he appeared opposite Oscar winner Jamie Foxx in the vampire action-comedy "Day Shift."

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Universal Pictures has had success in the past with exploring rap culture in biopics. The 2002 film "8 Mile," which was a semi-autobiographical take on the life of Eminem, was a huge hit for the studio, making $242 million worldwide and winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the track "Lose Yourself." "Straight Outta Compton" about the N.W.A. was released in 2015 and made $201 million worldwide.

Interestingly enough, Snoop was depicted in "Straight Outta Compton," with LaKeith Stanfield portraying the famous rapper.

As a director, Hughes looks well-suited to tackling the life and career of Snoop. He previously directed the HBO documentary, "The Defiant Ones," showcasing the partnership of Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine, the founders of Beats Electronics. Hughes has also worked on gritty urban dramas, such as "Menace II Society" and "Dead Presidents."

THR reports that NBCUniversal president of music and publishing, Mike Knobloch, will oversee the film's music soundtrack. Meanwhile, Universal Pictures Senior VP of Production and Development Ryan Jones will supervise the film for the studio.

There are no casting announcements yet for the film. It will be interesting to see who ends up playing Snoop on the big screen. The upcoming Snoop biopic does not yet have an official release date, but moviegoers can likely look for it to be released in theaters later on.