The ‘LAbyrinth’ Movie Will Star Johnny Depp And Possibly Forest Whitaker, But It’s Not A Remake Of The David Bowie Classic
The LAbyrinth movie will star Johnny Depp and possibly Forest Whitaker. You may have heard that they were going to make this film and were likely upset at the time.
There is nothing to be upset about, though, as the film has nothing to do with the David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly classic. It’s understandable if the public had taken it the wrong way when this movie was first announced, as Bowie had just died and it seemed like Hollywood was adding insult to injury by remaking it. Again, LAbyrinth is not a remake of that other one.
Instead, the Johnny Depp headliner is going to be a murder thriller about the deaths of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., two of the most renowned rappers of their time. The two deaths were among the biggest mysteries which were never solved, rivaling Jimmy Hoffa.
Forest Whitaker joins Johnny Depp in new Biggie/Tupac murder investigation drama LAbyrinth: https://t.co/wPeotZ5kdo pic.twitter.com/4ZghMzte3I
— Empire Magazine (@empiremagazine) November 17, 2016
There could be some confusion when the Labyrinth movie release date hits, though, as another film about Tupac is set to hit starring two cast members from The Walking Dead, Lauren Cohan and Danai Gurira. The casting of these two members of the long-running zombie apocalypse TV series had initially led to speculation that their characters would be killed off in Season 7 when Negan showed up to become a major problem for Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group. All Eyez on Me could face serious competition from Johnny Depp’s LAbyrinth, which has both the title and starring actors to its advantage.
Johnny Depp has just begun coming back from a run of films that nearly destroyed his career, including Alice in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking Glass, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Transcendence, and Dark Shadows. He only recently hit a break with the gangster film Black Mass and is hoping to bring back his longest-running film franchise with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
Depp is set to play Russell Poole, a disgraced LAPD detective who can’t seem to figure out who killed two of hip hop’s biggest icons, according to Deadline Hollywood.
Forest Whitaker in Talks to Join Johnny Depp in Tupac-Biggie Murder Thriller ‘Labyrinth’ https://t.co/M5fBFGdBwD
— TheWrap (@TheWrap) November 19, 2016
Forest Whitaker has also been a busy man recently, having just finished filming Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, The Forgiven, and Finding Steve McQueen. He’s also currently filming Burden and will have a role in Marvel’s upcoming Black Panther as Zuri, T’Chaka’s loyal companion.
Whitaker is in talks to play a journalist who accompanies Depp as the search continues for whoever killed Tupac and Biggie. Both are set to go against the police as they take a chance at redemption by uncovering a major scandal, says Variety.
Penned by screenwriter Christian Contreras, LAbyrinth might actually work alongside All Eyez on Me, as it covers the mystery behind Tupac’s death, while the latter is about the rapper’s life. The two films might still be competing with each other for box-office revenue.
It appears that 2017 will be another big year for true story biopics based on the rap industry, as 2015 saw the release of Straight Outta Compton, which was snubbed at the Oscars. If these films continue to do well, later years might even host a film about the gangsta rap industry and Dr. Dre’s rise to fame and fortune in the years surrounding the death of Eazy-E.
MORE RELATED STORIES
‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ Tickets Go On Sale On Monday, Just Weeks Before Film’s Release Date
‘Labyrinth’ Remake and ‘The Exorcist’ TV Pilot In The Works
[Featured Image by by Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images]
