In a report by Indiewire, USA Network has greenlit a pilot pickup for the latest rendition of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G.’s story.
The project, entitled Unsolved, uses the book Murder Rap: The Untold Story of Biggie Smalls & Tupac Shakur Murder Investigations as a touchstone. The book was written by former Los Angeles Police Department Detective Greg Kading, who headed several task forces for Shakur and Smalls’ murders.
The famed rappers were even more famously murdered in 1997. Smalls was a victim of an unknown drive-by shooting on March 9, 1997. Nearly six months later, Shakur was also murdered in a drive-by in Las Vegas. The official investigations are still unsolved, but many members of the East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry have their own theories about the people behind these murders.
The rappers’ lives and deaths have lent itself to many iterations. Notorious, the biopic centered around Biggie Smalls’ life, premiered in 2009. Jamal Woolard, who played Smalls, will even be returning to his role in the Tupac-centered film All Eyez on Me. Demetrius Shipp Jr. will be playing Tupac when the film will premieres in 2017.
USA’s Unsolved will be directed by The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story director Anthony Hemingway. He will also executive produce with Mark Taylor. Kading has also signed on to consult the pilot script, which will be written by Kyle Long (previously of Suits).