Rap mogul launches Death Row Pictures

A biopic about Snoop Dogg is in the works with Universal Pictures and rapper’s newly formed Death Row Pictures. The studio announced the partnership on Wednesday (Nov 9th), confirming the film will incorporate music from Snoop’s vast catalogue.

“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,” Snoop Dogg says in a statement. “It was the perfect marriage. It was holy matrimony, not holy macaroni.”

“Snoop Dogg’s life and legacy make him one of the most exciting and influential icons in popular culture,” shares Universal Pictures Chairman Donna Langley. “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.”

Joe Robert Cole of the Black Panther film franchise will pen the screenplay with Menace to Society‘s Allen Hughes attached to direct.

No word on when production will be begin or a timeline for its release.

It’ll be the first film for Death Row Pictures, an offshoot of the rapper’s debut label, Death Row Records, that he acquired earlier this year.

In 2015, the studio released NWA’s Straight Outta Compton that also featured Snoop because of his ties with member Dr. Dre. The film grossed more than $200 million at the box office worldwide and became the highest grossing music biopic at the time until Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody was released in 2019.

Universal is also behind the Eminem film, 8 Mile, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a 4K Ultra HD release and Mom’s Spaghetti pop-up shop in New York City.