After playing the wanted fugitive and notorious criminal Whitey Bulger inBlack Mass,Johnny Deppis heading to the other side of the law for his new projectLabyrinth. The actor has been set to star in this true crime thriller that is being shopped to buyers at the Toronto International Film Festival this week. ProducerMiriam Segalwill be shopping the project, which intends to start filming later this year.
Screen Dailyreports thatJohnny Deppwill portrayRussell Poole, the real-life LAPD detective who investigated the unsolved murders of rappersTupac ShakurandNotorious B.I.G.in the late 1990s. Although he encountered a number of dead ends, his determined investigation uncovered corruption within the LAPD itself.Russell Poolewas featured in the 2002 documentaryTupac and Biggie. He retired from the LAPD in 1999 and started his own private detective agency.Russell Poolepassed away last August from an apparent heart attack.
Brad Furman(The Lincoln Lawyer,The Infiltrator) is directing from a script byChristian Contreras, based on the book of the same name byRandall Wallace. Good Films is financing and distributing, with UTA and WME Global jointly representing the U.S. rights as the project is being shopped around. It remains to be seen if casting for other roles is under way or not.
Poole’s investigations uncovered that a number of slain LAPD detectives were connected to Death Row Records founderSuge Knight. His investigation unearthed evidence that some LAPD officers may be tied to the murders of both rappers. This past Tuesday marked the 20th anniversary ofTupac Shakur’s murder in Las Vegas, withThe Notorious B.I.G.’s death in Los Angeles coming six months later. Both the murders ofTupac ShakurandNotorious B.I.G.remain unsolved to this date.
Johnny Deppmost recently starred as theMad Hatterin Disney’s sequelAlice Through the Looking Glassand inKevin Smith’s new indieYoga Hosers. He will next be seen in the long-awaited sequelPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Talesas Jack Sparrow, and he is also attached to portrayThe Invisible Manfor Universal. Stay tuned for more updates onLabyrinth.
