NEWS
A biopic based on Snoop Dogg‘s life and career is picking up steam at Universal Pictures – find out more below.
A Snoop-focused biopic was first announced in 2022, with Black Panther co-writer Joe Robert Cole penning the script. At the time, Allen Hughes (Menace II Society, The Defiant Ones) was attached to direct.
Little news has been shared of the film’s development since then, until Universal confirmed last week that the project is still in the works, and is heading in a positive direction.
Last week, it was reported that Coming 2 America, Hustle & Flow, Footloose and Dolemite Is My Name director Craig Brewer will be helming the project, reworking some of Cole’s original script. Now, it has been revealed that Brewer has cast Outer Banks standout Jonathan Daviss as the legendary rapper.
Following the casting being made public, Snoop took to social media to post pictures of himself with the young actor: “Let’s go nefew [nephew]! It’s time!”. Daviss wrote in his own post: “Bow wow wow”.
The news was announced exclusively via Deadline, who also confirmed that Snoop Dogg, Brian Grazer and Death Row Pictures president Sara Ramaker will produce.
The film has yet to receive a title, reveal its supporting cast, and has yet to lock in a production timeline.
Snoop Dogg’s biopic is expected to chronicle the rapper’s entry into the real of hip-hop, though its currently unclear just how much of his legendary career will be covered in the film.
Snoop Dogg’s latest album ‘Missionary’ has scored a three-star review from NME, with Kyann-Sian Williams writing: “‘Missionary’ is an underwhelming sequel where the inspirational tone feels forced, and the sonic versatility hinders the whole project. Dre and Snoop forgot the legacy they created for the West Coast with ‘Doggystyle’ and – although there are flashes of fun – the forgettable collection barely scratches the surface of their legendary status.”
As for Daviss, he is best known for his role as Pope Heyward in the Netflix action-adventure teen drama Outer Banks, which has been renewed for a fifth and final season. His second largest role was in the 2022 Netflix film Do Revenge.
NEWS
Oliver Tree’s team has provided a new update following the singer’s death in a helicopter crash on June 14, confirming that a new artist grant will soon be established in his memory to help creatives secure funding, a plan he had detailed in his will before his passing.
Accompanying a collection of photos highlighting Tree’s performances, travels and creative work through the years, a post shared Sunday (June 21) on his Instagram account revealed that the musician’s remains have been brought back to California, the state he called home and where he will be laid to rest. “His legacy will live on through his foundation/endowment named ‘Dr. Oliver Tree’s Extremely Epic Grant For Baby Geniuses’ coming soon,” the caption reads. “This is something that Oliver had put together before his passing.”
“We will make sure his wish comes to fruition so that more joy, love and art can be spread into the world, that was his final wish,” the statement continued, adding that “the constant love, support and positivity” shown by fans throughout the past week has helped his “family, friends and collaborators make it through these extremely difficult times.”
Tree was among six people who lost their lives in a helicopter collision in Rio de Janeiro. The musician was in Brazil for his The World’s First Tour run and had performed what would ultimately be his final concert on June 6 in São Paulo. The other victims of the crash were identified as passengers Lucas Vignale, Gaspar Prim and Lucas Brito Chaves, along with pilots Alexandre Souza and Charles Marsillac.
Just months before his death, Tree discussed his plans to direct his fortune and future earnings from his music toward a grant program for artists during an appearance on the Zach Sang Show. “I take no credit for anything I’ve ever done,” he said during the April interview. “Furthermore, I don’t believe that any of the wealth or things that get made from it is mine. So when I die … my will is set up so that when I pass, my family, nobody is going to get a penny.”
“If I have a wife or kids or anything, they’re not getting a penny,” he added at the time, explaining that the initiative would focus on helping artists create work rather than funding education. “I’ll get my kids through college, that’s the agreement, but there’s not gonna be a silver spoon. All the money is going to go back to artists.”
