Cynthia Erivo will play Afeni Shakur, the mother of Tupac Shakur, in the upcoming Snoop Dogg biopic Snoop. Filming began in September 2026, and the movie is scheduled for release on August 6, 2027.

Most audiences know Erivo as Elphaba from the movie adaptation of Wicked. Now she moves into a story built around two of the most recognizable names in hip-hop, and the casting gives the project a high-profile lead who has already anchored a major musical film.

Jonathan Daviss Takes On the Young Snoop Dogg

The production is not just about its older figures. Jonathan Daviss is playing a young Snoop Dogg, which places him at the center of the story’s early chapters. Snoop Dogg is the subject of the film, and the casting of his younger self signals that the movie will trace his path from the beginning.

The project has already started shooting, so the cast list is no longer a plan on paper. Cameras began rolling in September 2026, and the schedule points toward a theatrical or streaming release on August 6, 2027.

The Friendship Behind the Story

The film draws on a relationship that has been documented in pop culture for decades. Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg reportedly first met on the set of the 1993 movie Poetic Justice. The two went on to collaborate on tracks for Tupac’s album All Eyez on Me.

That history gives the biopic a ready-made emotional core. It is a story about two artists who crossed paths during a period when hip-hop and Hollywood were colliding in new ways, and the friendship sits at the heart of the material.

Who Afeni Shakur Was

Afeni Shakur was far more than a parent in the background of her son’s career. She was a member of the Black Panther Party and an activist, and her public life shaped the family’s story long before Tupac became a global star.

Her role in the arts did not end with her son’s death. After Tupac died in 1996, she created the Georgia-based Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, which serves young people interested in the arts. She also founded the record label Amaru Entertainment to release her son’s previously unreleased music.

Those details matter for a biopic. Erivo’s character is not just a supporting figure who reacts to a famous son. She was an activist and a businesswoman who helped shape how his work reached the public after his death.

Erivo on Choosing Her Roles

Erivo recently explained how she decides which projects to accept, and her answer offers a window into why she took this one. She described a process that is less about calculation and more about instinct.

“I feel like I have an internal metronome that tells me when something is right for me and when something is not,” she said. “I say no to a lot of things.”

An actor who turns down far more work than she accepts is making a deliberate statement with each choice. Taking on Afeni Shakur signals that Erivo sees this role as one that fits her internal rhythm, even as it asks her to inhabit a real person with a complicated legacy.

Why This Casting Matters Now

Biopics about music icons have become a steady draw for audiences, and this one has several built-in hooks. It pairs a leading performer with a story that connects two major names in hip-hop, and it arrives with a cast that already carries strong name recognition.

The casting also keeps the focus on the women in these stories. Afeni Shakur’s life, from her activism to her work building Tupac’s legacy through the foundation and the label, gives Erivo a role with real weight on screen.

For fans tracking the project, the timeline is clear. Filming began in September 2026, and the film is set to arrive on August 6, 2027. Until then, the most useful signals will come from the cast announcements and the production updates that follow the first months of shooting.