After spending a long while in development, NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton is finally moving forward now that it’s cast its three stars. O’Shea Jackson Jr. stars as Ice Cube (the actor is Cube’s son in real life), Corey Hawkins will take on the part of Dr. Dre, and Jason Mitchell has been tasked with bringing Eazy-E to life.
I’m excited to see the three young actors chosen to portray Cube, Dre and Easy-E on the big screen – all of them look somewhat similar to their real-life counterparts, and the thorough casting process that the filmmakers went through to find them speaks to how well Jackson, Hawkins and Mitchell must have embodied the rappers.
The biopic will chart the origins of rapper group NWA and its rise to prominence with hits like “Fuck tha Police” and the title song. Check out an extended synopsis for the film, which Cube and Dre produced, below:
In the mid-1980s, the streets of Compton, California, were some of the most dangerous in the country. When five young men translated their experiences growing up into brutally honest music that rebelled against abusive authority, they gave an explosive voice to a silenced generation. Following the meteoric rise and fall of N.W.A., STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON tells the astonishing story of how these youngsters revolutionized music and pop culture forever the moment they told the world the truth about life in the hood and ignited a cultural war.
Starring O’Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins and Jason Mitchell as Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Eazy-E, STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON is directed by F. Gary Gray (Friday, Set It Off, The Italian Job). The drama is produced by original N.W.A. members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, who are joined by fellow producers Matt Alvarez and Tomica Woods-Wright. Will Packer serves as executive producer of the film alongside Gray.
Straight Outta Compton has nicked the spot recently vacated by Bourne 5 and will open on August 14th, 2015.
