Algee Smith, best known for his work in the early seasons of Euphoria, is set to portray Warren G in Snoop, Universal Pictures’ biopic of entertainment mogul and rapper Snoop Dogg.
Jonathan Daviss, one of the stars of Netflix series Outer Banks, is portraying Snoop Dogg, who emerged from Long Beach, Calif. in the 1990s to become one of the biggest names in rap. The feature has been casting up in recent weeks and now has actors Myles Bullock Be as Dr. Dre, Camron Jones as troubled rapper Tupac Shakur, and Lauren London as Snoop Dogg’s mother.
Production is due to start mid-September in and around Los Angeles.
A Grammy nominee, Warren G, whose real name is Warren Griffin III, was a key member of the West Coast hip-hop scene with hits such as “Regulate” and “This D.J.” The rapper was pivotal in Snoop Dogg’s rise, forming a trio named the 213 in the early 1990s that also included Nate Dogg. Warren G ended up introducing Snoop Dogg to Dr. Dre, who then took the young rapper under his wing.
Craig Brewer is directing Snoop, which is being produced by Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer, the veteran producer behind the semi-autobiographical Eminem drama 8 Mile, and the company’s Allan Mandelbaum. Snoop Dogg and Death Row Pictures president Sara Ramaker are also producing.
Brewer, who recently directed Song Sung Blue for Universal’s specialty studio Focus Features, wrote the latest draft of the script, which was initially written by Joe Robert Cole. The feature will incorporate music from Snoop Dogg’s vast catalog.
Smith played football star Chris McKay in HBO’s Euphoria. He broke through with his performance portraying singer Ralph Tresvant in BET’s highest-rated miniseries The New Edition Story and had roles in Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit and Shaka King’s Judas and the Black Messiah. The latter two earned him NAACP Image Award nominations.
Smith will be a series regular in HBO’s American Blue, starring opposite Milo Ventimiglia from showrunner Jeremy Carver and director David Ayer. He will also star alongside Jamie Foxx as boxing legend Pernell Whitaker in the upcoming Netflix drama Fight for 84.
Smith is repped by UTA, Neon Kite and Goodman Genow.
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