Snoop Dogg is headed into space for a starring role in an upcoming sci-fi movie from director Luc Besson (The Fifth Element). The rapper will not only top-line The Last Man, but according to Variety, he will also co-produce the post-apocalyptic tale whose plot is being kept quiet for now.
The magazine reported that The Last Man is believed to be inspired by Planet of the Apes and have a connection to Snoop’s 2009 track “Last Man Standing.” Besson’s eclectic, four-decade-plus filmography has included a number of science fiction films, among them 1997’s The Fifth Element with Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich, the trippy Lucy with Scarlett Johansson in 2014 and the big-budget Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets in 2017, which featured Clive Owen, Cara Delevingne, Rihanna and Ethan Hawke.
Besson is also writing the script for the upcoming film, which Variety speculated would be in the same wheelhouse as The Fifth Element, mixing sci-fi with comedy and action. The project will be a reunion for the director and rapper, who worked together in 2006 on the live action/animated fantasy movie Arthur and the Invisibles, in which The Voice coach starred as Koolamassai leader Max alongside an all-star cast that also included Madonna, Robert DeNiro, David Bowie, Freddie Highmore, Mia Farrow and Chazz Palminteri.
“Ever since I’ve seen The Professional, I’ve always wanted [Luc] to direct a whole movie for me. Now we finally get the opportunity for him to write and direct me in a Luc Besson movie,” Snoop said.
Besson returned the admiration, adding, “I’ve been a big fan of Snoop Dogg’s music ever since ‘Who Am I.’ We first met 20 years ago, and we’ve always wanted to work together again. We just needed the right project that would excite us both — and this is it, with Snoop in the lead role. I can’t wait to get started!”
Snoop’s Death Row Pictures is co-producing the movie along with Besson and wife Virginie Besson-Silla for EuropaCorp, with filming slated to begin next year.
The rapper’s acting resume is nearly as long as his rapping sheet, dating back to early appearances in Half Baked and Caught Up in the mid-1990s, as well as co-starring roles in a variety of dramas, comedies and genre films, including Baby Boy, Training Day, Bones, The Wash, Starsky & Hutch and Dolemite Is My Name, among many others.
In the meantime, Snoop is gearing up to release his Missionary album on Friday (Dec. 13), which represents his first full-length LP made in collaboration with mentor Dr. Dre since Snoop’s 1993 debut, Doggystyle.
