EXCLUSIVE: Neil Brown Jr., who played N.W.A’s DJ Yella in Straight Outta Compton, is the latest to be cast in the Biggie-Tupac crime thriller LAbyrinth. He joins stars Johnny Depp and Forest Whitaker in the film about disgraced LAPD detective Russell Poole (Depp), who teams with journalist Jack Jackson (Whitaker), both seeking redemption and determined to find the truth behind the murders of rap impresarios. Their relentless hunt threatens to crack the foundation of the police department.
Brown will play Rafael Perez, the former dirty LAPD officer and central figure in the Rampart scandal, who was accused of murdering the Notorious B.I.G.
Brad Furman is directing the film, which was a 2015 Black List script by Christian Contreras, adapted from Randall Sullivan’s book. Miriam Segal of Good Films is producing and Open Road Films and Miramax are co-producing. Open Road will release the film sometime next year.
Brown is filming the Swedish remake film Naked for Netflix, which stars Marlon Wayans and Regina Hall. He also has another project with Netflix; the Fernando Coimbra-directed war drama Sandcastle with Logan Marshall-Green, Henry Cavill and Nicholas Hoult.
He is repped by David Dean Management and Don Buchwald & Associates.
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