Cynthia Erivo will play Afeni Shakur, the Black Panther activist and mother of Tupac Shakur, in Universal Pictures’ Snoop Dogg biopic “Snoop,” the studio confirmed Wednesday.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the casting. Erivo, a Tony, Grammy and Emmy winner and a three-time Oscar nominee for “Wicked,” joins a cast led by Jonathan Daviss, the “Outer Banks” actor, as the title character. Craig Brewer directs, and Snoop Dogg is a producer. The film will draw on music from his catalog.
Camron Jones plays Tupac, and Lauren London plays Snoop’s mother, Beverly Tate. Algee Smith takes the role of Warren G, Tre Hale plays Suge Knight, and SwayvoTwain plays The Notorious B.I.G. The film began shooting in mid-September in Southern California and opens in theaters Aug. 6, 2027.
Erivo steps into one of the most recognizable roles in hip-hop history. Afeni Shakur was arrested in 1969 and charged in a conspiracy to bomb New York City landmarks. She represented herself in part of the trial and won acquittal in 1971, about a month before Tupac was born. She turned a life of political organizing into a lifelong bond with her son, who immortalized her in the hit “Dear Mama.” After his killing in 1996, she managed his estate and guarded his legacy until her death in 2016 at 69.
Her scenes carry weight in a story centered on Snoop’s rise. His path through the West Coast rap scene of the 1990s ran through Death Row Records, the label led by Knight and home to Tupac. Casting an actor of Erivo’s stature in a supporting part signals how much the studio wants the era’s key figures to land with audiences.
The studio has not said how large Afeni’s role will be. Tupac’s life has already reached the screen several times, and portrayals of the Shakur family draw close scrutiny from fans and from those who knew them. Universal has released successful music biopics before, and “Snoop” now carries a cast that mixes rising names with an awards-circuit headliner.
