Forest Whitaker is in talks to join Johnny Depp in the LAPD thriller “Labyrinth,” an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.
Open Road Films acquired the North American rights to “Labyrinth” last month, a thriller starring Depp as former Los Angeles Police Department Det. Russell Poole, who investigated the still-unsolved murders of rappers Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G.
Brad Furman will direct the film, which is set to begin production this month.
The movie follows Poole, who is beaten down after failing to solve the rappers’ murder cases, both of which remain open after 20 years. During his investigation, the detective uncovered deep corruption throughout the department and resigned from the force in protest of its handling of his findings.
A reporter tracks Poole down and the two of them work together to hunt for the truth. In the process, they threaten to expose scandals within the LAPD while trying to repair their own reputations.
Miriam Segal and her Good Films are producing the movie. Christian Contreras wrote the script, which is based on Randall Smith’s book “Labyrinth: a Detective Investigates the Murders of Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G., the Implication of Death Row Records’ Suge Knight, and the Origins of the Los Angeles Police Scandal.”
Whitaker most recently starred alongside Amy Adams in “Arrival” and will next star in “Star Wars: Rogue One” and “Burden.” He will also appear alongside Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan in Marvel’s “Black Panther” in 2018.
Whitaker is represented by WME and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.