The murders of Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. are coming back into the spotlight (again), and Johnny Depp will be there at the center of it all. The actor is set to star in Labyrinth, a film about the murder investigations, reports Screen Daily.
Depp will reportedly play Russell Poole, the Los Angeles detective who worked on the cases in the late 1990s. The former police officer is known for uncovering ties between law enforcement, the music industry, and gangs, and then going on to work on the cases of the two slain rappers. He believed that cops may have been involved in their murders, but neither case was ever officially solved.
Poole’s investigation became the focus of Randall Sullivan’s 2002 book LAbyrinth: A Detective Investigates the Murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., the Implication of Death Row Records’ Suge Knight, and the Origins of the Los Angeles Police Scandal. The film will be based on the book, with Christian Contreras having used it to pen the screenplay. The thriller will be directed by Brad Furman, who is known for The Lincoln Lawyer and The Infiltrator.
Producer Miriam Segal of Good Films reportedly headed to the Toronto Film Festival this week to get buyers on board. That doesn’t seem like a difficult task considering how the mystery of Tupac and Biggie’s murders has mystified and fascinated the public for nearly two decades. Depp’s involvement, of course, helps, especially coming off his acclaimed performance in Black Mass.
While there are some conflicting reports over whether the actor is officially attached to the project or still in talks, according to THR, assuming all goes as planned, Labyrinth could begin shooting later this year.
