After years of languishing in the development stages, the NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton is coming together. The film, focusing on legendary west coast rap group NWA, has found its leading men and it's scheduled to be released on April 14th, 2015. Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, both of whom got their start with the group, are producing the film, and they tweeted out a picture this week showing off the actors who'll play their younger counterparts. Ice Cube has long angled to have his younger self played by his son, O'Shea Jackson Jr., and he has secured the role. Little-known actors Marcus Callender and Jason Mitchell will play Dr. Dre and the late Eazy-E, respectively.
NWA is widely credited with pioneering gangsta rap in the mid to late ‘80s, and it gave rise to Ice Cube's and Dr. Dre's solo careers. Dr. Dre, of course, is now much more than a musician and music producer. He co-founded Beats by Dre, and Apple's high-profile acquisition has landed him a job at the company — not to mention quite a fortune. Little is known about the direction the biopic will take, but it will certainly serve as a introduction to Dr. Dre's successful rap career for those who know him only by the headphones that bear his name. We're sure there'll be plenty of fan service for the NWA faithful as well.
Finally found the cast for the NWA movie. Me, Gary Gray, Dre w/ Cube, Eazy & Dre #StraightOuttaCompton coming 8/14/15 pic.twitter.com/AQZAVSIfxF
— Ice Cube (@icecube) June 18, 2014