Cynthia Erivo has been tapped to play Afeni Shakur, the mother of the late rapper Tupac Shakur, in a new biopic centered on Snoop Dogg. The casting announcement comes as the film moves forward under the direction of Craig Brewer, with Universal Pictures set to distribute the project. According to reports, the movie is expected to hit theaters in August 2027.
Erivo joins an extensive ensemble cast that includes Jonathan Daviss, who stars as Snoop Dogg, and Camron Jones, who portrays Tupac Shakur. The film also features Myles Bullock as Dr. Dre, Tre Hale as Suge Knight, and Lauren London as Snoop's mother, Beverly Tate. Additionally, Laya DeLeon Hayes will play Shante, Snoop's wife, while SwayvoTwain, the son of D'Angelo and Angie Stone, has been cast as Notorious B.I.G.
The character Erivo will portray was a former Black Panther and political activist who inspired several of her son's songs, including the 1995 hit "Dear Mama." Following Tupac's death in Las Vegas in 1996, Afeni Shakur established the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation to manage his estate before passing away in 2016 at the age of 69.
Production is currently underway in California with a team of producers that includes Snoop Dogg himself, Sara Ramaker of Death Row Pictures, and Allan Mandelbaum and Brian Grazer from Imagine Entertainment. Grazer previously produced the film 8 Mile about Eminem. While this biopic advances, Erivo continues her work on other projects, including the film adaptation of Prima Facie, which recently premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, and the action-thriller Karōshi, directed by Takashi Doscher.
Sources: Rolling Stone.