Snoop Dogg is set to star in The Underdoggs, a comedy film based on an original concept he pitched with his producing partner, Constance Schwartz-Morini.
According to Deadline, the film has since been picked up by the production company Metro Goldwyn Mayer. Black-ish creator Kenya Barris has signed-on to co-produce the film alongside the rapper, while Drumline‘s Charles Stone will direct it, based off a screenplay by Danny Segal and Isaac Schamis.
Snoop based The Underdoggs‘ synopsis on his own experience as a youth football coach, centering the film around a former NFL player who agrees to manage a children’s football team to avoid time in prison. A theatrical release for the film is scheduled for October 2023.
In a statement, Snoop said the film was a “real personal project” for him, referencing his decade-and-a-half run coaching football with the Snoop Youth Football League, which he started with Schwartz-Morini.
“Giving back to the community through football has taught us so many invaluable life lessons that we’ve been able to share with kids in similar situations like mine when I was growing up,” he added. “My hope is that this movie will shed light on the realities that kids and adults face in the hood and within the complex world of football.”
The Underdoggs will add to Snoop’s sizeable list of previous film involvements, having appeared in fellow comedies Brüno, Starsky & Hutch and Mac & Devin Go to High School, the last of which co-starred his longtime music collaborator Wiz Khalifa. Elsewhere, Snoop comprises the cast of Day Shift, an upcoming Netflix comedy starring Jamie Foxx.
Barris, meanwhile, is gearing up for the September premiere of Entergalactic, a musical animation created by Kid Cudi, based around the rapper’s upcoming album of the same name.
On the music front, Snoop Dogg this year released BODR, his 19th studio album, featuring assists from Nas, The Game and Khalifa, among others. More recently, Snoop joined forces with Eminem for the June single “From The D 2 The LBC”. The pair previously collaborated as part of this year’s Super Bowl Halftime performance alongside Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar.
This week, Benny Blanco shared a teaser for “Bad Decision”, which also features Snoop and BTS. The collaboration is set for release today and marks the first single from Blanco’s upcoming, currently untitled album.
Listen to the best of Snoop Dogg on Apple Music and Spotify.
