Johnny Depp, Forest Whitaker Take On Notorious B.I.G.’s Case In ‘City Of Lies’ Trailer

Johnny Depp and Forest Whitaker star in the first trailer for City of Lies. The film will center on Notorious B.I.G.'s death.

The over two-minute clip opens with the question "Who shot Biggie?" Depp, who plays the role of LAPD detective Russell Poole, is interviewed for his previous investigative work. He has a conversation with Whitaker's character Jack Jackson. The latter is a reporter who is desperate to save his career and reputation.

During their discussion, Jack asks Russell why Notorious B.I.G.'s case is so important to him. He tells him that a murder like what happened to Notorious B.I.G. only goes unsolved. The two men decide to work together, and while gathering clues about the rapper's death, they both realize that what they are doing could shake up the LAPD and the entire city.

At one point in the teaser, the LAPD attacked Jack. He finds himself in the gunpoint, and he gets asked to step out of his vehicle. A member of the LAPD also targets Russell.

'City Of Lies' Release Date, Casting

City of Lies will be released in select theaters in the United States on Sept. 7. The trailer also featured Notorious B.I.G.'s song "You're Nobody," which is part of his Life After Death album.

Depp was cast in the role of Poole just after the detective died from a heart attack in 2015. City of Lies is based on Randall Sullivan's book Labyrinth: A Detective Investigates the Murder of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., the Implications of Death Row Records' Suge Knight, and the Origins of the Los Angeles Police Scandal.

Originally, Depp and Whitaker's film was supposed to be called Labyrinth.

Notorious B.I.G.'s Death

Notorious B.I.G.'s real name is Christopher George Latore Wallace. He died on March 9, 1997, in Los Angeles. The hip-hop artist was shot four times in a drive-by shooting incident. One of the gunshots that hit him was fatal.

Despite numerous witnesses and enormous media attention, no one was ever charged with the murder of the musician. In 2006, Notorious B.I.G.'s family filed a $500 million wrongful death lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police District claiming that the corrupt members of the force were the ones responsible for killing the artist.

Greg Kading, a retired LAPD officer, revealed that Marion "Suge" Knight, the head of Death Row Records, hired a gang member to kill Notorious B.I.G.

Tags

Notorious B.I.G., Johnny Depp, Trailer