Wicked star Cynthia Erivo will play Tupac Shakur’s mother, Afeni Shakur, in Snoop, Universal’s forthcoming film about Snoop Dogg.
Erivo’s casting, first reported by The Hollywood Reporter, puts her alongside Jonathan Daviss as Snoop and Camron Jones as Tupac. Afeni was a prominent member of the Black Panther Party, having joined in 1968 after hearing co-founder Bobby Seale speak.
Craig Brewer, whose films include Hustle & Flow and Song Sung Blue, directs from his rewrite of Joe Robert Cole’s original screenplay. Snoop’s own music catalogue will feature in the film.
The ensemble brings together figures from the rapper’s family and the wider hip-hop world. Myles Bullock Be plays Dr. Dre, Lauren London is Snoop’s mother Beverly Tate, and Laya DeLeon Hayes plays his wife, Shante Broadus.
Snoop is also producing, alongside Brian Grazer, Allan Mandelbaum and Sara Ramaker. The film is the first project under Death Row Pictures’ overall deal with NBCUniversal Entertainment and Studios.
Erivo’s screen work also includes Prima Facie, which she stars in and executive produced, and the forthcoming Children of Blood and Bone. Snoop is scheduled for US cinemas on 6 August 2027.
