Johnny Depp will be starring in a brand new upcoming thriller as an investigative detective on the murder of Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. According to Entertainment Weekly, the upcoming film titled, Labyrinth has now been acquired by Open Road Films for the North American distribution rights. The script was written by Christian Contreras, adapting Randall Sullivan’s in-depth 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. In an announcement made on Monday, Open Road’s CEO Tom Ortenberg called the project “an edgy and timely investigative thriller.”

The film will be directed by Brad Furman, with production set to begin in November of this year. Miriam Segal, who’s collaborated with Furman in the past on The Infiltrator, will be the producer of the film. Labyrinth is centered on Russell Poole (Depp), a shunned LAPD detective whose failed to solve the murder cases of the iconic, rival hip-hop artists for ten years. He eventually partners up with a reporter as a desperate attempt to salvage his reputation and to finally revel the truth behind the slaying of Tupac and Biggie.

It’s clear that the legendary artists continue to have an immense impact and contribution to today’s culture. With the upcoming Tupac biopic All Eyez On Me premiering in November and the late-great moving story of Biggie in Notorious (2009), the public will continue to pay tribute and recognition to these timeless artists and their work. Stay tuned to for future updates!

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As if he wasn’t already a media favorite, Banksy has been making some pretty colossal waves in the press this past week. First it was the street artist’s airing of The Antics Roadshow, then we were delivered King Robbo’s eye-opening Graffiti Wars (a must-see that has unfortunately been taken off Vimeo), and now all eyes are on Banksy once again as his 2010 documentary, Exit Through the Gift Shop was featured on the August 16th episode of  50 Documentaries to See Before You Die.

50 Documentaries to See Before You Die (50 Docs) is a summer special series, airing on CurrentTV throughout the month of August, and ranks the top 50 documentary films from the past 25 years. Exit Through the Gift Shop (ETTGS) was rated as no.21 this past Tuesday, joining the ranks alongside Biggie and Tupac (no.39) and skateboarding film Dogtown and Z Boys (no.32). On the show’s most recent episode, 50 Docs host Morgan Spurlock ventures through California to meet with controversial French street artist Mr.Brainwash (Thierry Guetta): Banksy’s protege and the focal point of much of ETTGS. In the clip, Spurlock questions Guetta on his relationship with Banksy, as well as the authenticity of both ETTGS and Guetta’s own works.

The 50 Docs feature of ETTGS has kept the art world abuzz about Banksy, and the controversy behind the documentary that features Guetta’s supposed original footage of  famed street artists (including Banksy himself) at work. After viewing Guetta’s footage, Bansky managed to convince Guetta to hand over the reins on his graffiti doc project, ETTGS being the result. The film’s 2010 debut sparked debate and initiated skepticism  among street art aficionados, leaving many to wonder if Guetta really existed and whether or not the entire film was a hoax.  After viewing the documentary, many began to consider Banksy as a sellout, and, after Graffiti Wars, I think I’m starting to as well.

Somehow Banksy’s privileged status as a street artist rather than a graffiti artist (explained in Graffiti Wars by street artist Ben Eine), and his obsession with commercializing his works  just don’t sit well with me. Why should anti-graffiti task forces in the UK and around the world be allowed to preserve Banksy works, while ridding the streets of all other illegal art? Why is one more legitimate than the other? I do, however, agree with 50 Docs that ETTGS is a must-see for graffiti nuts. The episode may have just lent the film a bit more legitimacy by speaking with Guetta himself, even if his splattering of red paint is unbearably annoying.

Exit Through the Gift Shop is not the first of Banksy’s sketchy moves though…Team Robbo anyone?

photo via Mr. Brainwash

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