The Notorious B.I.G will be played by an undiscovered actor, producers of a biopic about the murdered rapper have announced.
Producers say they took the decision to cast an unknown after realising only Oscar-winner Forest Whitaker could “capture [Biggie‘s] essence”, but he was too old to play Biggie (real name Christopher Wallace) who died aged 24.
Biggies’s mother, Voletta Wallace, and his two former managers, Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts, will help choose the actor to portray the rapper.
"There will only be one Christopher Wallace, but I'm happy that his legacy will open a door for another to walk through," Voletta says.
Actors are asked to submit video auditions on Fox Searchlight’s website.
Open auditions will take place at undisclosed locations this summer to find an actor to play the heavyweight rapper. Filming will start this autumn.
It’s not just a key actor the movie needs, its producers are still looking for a director after Training Day’s Antoine Fuqua left the project earlier this year.
Biggie was shot outside a music industry party in March 1997. His murder remains unsolved.
