Wicked Star Cynthia Erivo Will Play Tupac’s Mom in Snoop Dogg Biopic
Cynthia Erivo, best known for her role as Elphaba in Wicked, has been cast to play Afeni Shakur, the mother of Tupac Shakur, in an upcoming biographical film about Snoop Dogg. The production, which began filming in September 2026, stars Jonathan Daviss as young Snoop Dogg and is directed by the filmmaker behind Dead Presidents, with the screenplay by the writer of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Tupac Shakur and Snoop Dogg first met on the set of the 1993 film Poetic Justice and subsequently collaborated on multiple tracks for Tupac’s landmark double album All Eyez on Me, establishing a significant creative partnership that became central to 1990s hip-hop culture.
Erivo has demonstrated thoughtful intentionality in her recent career choices, recently explaining her selection process to the Hollywood Reporter: “I feel like I have an internal metronome that tells me when something is right for me and when something is not.” This casting marks another major film role for Erivo following her critically acclaimed performance in the Wicked film adaptation.