The man whom we could refer to as “the director who directed Cuba Gooding Jr. in his last serious movie,” otherwise known as George Tillman Jr. is set to direct the Notorious B.I.G. biopic for Fox Searchlight with Sean “Diddy” Combs onboard to exec produce.
Tillman’s last directorial outing was Men of Honor starring Robert De Niro and one Gooding Jr. back in 2000, but described as “a longtime Notorious B.I.G. fan” he will take the chair on this one, which is said to focus on Biggie’s life that was not seen in public.
The hip-hop artist, also known as Biggie Smalls but whose real name was Christopher Wallace, was a major figure in the East Coast hip-hop scene before being killed in 1995 in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. His music was heavily influenced by his experience growing up on the streets of Brooklyn, where drugs and violence often dominated.
Producing the biopic are Wallace’s mother, Voletta Wallace, and former music managers Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts, as well as Robert Teitel. Film project has been in the works for seven years and this Sunday Fox Searchlight commenced a nationwide casting call Sunday, with anyone resembling the slain rapper encouraged to submit a tape whether an actor or not.
