"City of Lies" (2021): Release Date, Cast, Plot, Trailer, and More

Photo: Youtube

The unsolved murders of the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur remain two of the most infamous crimes that have never been officially settled in the history of the entertainment business.

“City of Lies”: Release Date

City of Lies was produced by Miriam Segal, Paul Brennan and Stuart Manashil, and co-produced by Paula Turnbull and Jess Fuerst. The movie got held up for years due to some legal trouble that Depp found himself in, but it is now slated for release on March 19 exclusively in theaters before making its way to VOD/digital platforms on April 9.

“City of Lies”: Cast

• Johnny Depp as Russell Poole, Megan's husband and a retired LAPD detective.

• Forest Whitaker as Jackson ("Jack"), a journalist who teams with the cop to find the truth.

• Rockmond Dunbar as Dreadlocks

• Neil Brown Jr. as Rafael Pérez, a corrupt LAPD officer

• Xander Berkeley as Edwards

• Shea Whigham as Detective Frank Lyga

• Wynn Everett as Megan Poole, Russell's wife.

• Toby Huss as Detective Fred Miller, Poole's partner

• Louis Herthum as City Attorney Stone, a city attorney who defends Poole on trial.

• Shamier Anderson as David "D. Mack" Mack, a corrupt LAPD officer.

• Amin Joseph as Kevin Gaines, a corrupt LAPD officer

• Laurence Mason as Dunton, an FBI Agent

• Joseph Ferrante as Detective Snow

• Dayton Callie as Lieutenant O'Shea

• Keith Szarabajka as Sgt. Reese

• Peter Greene as Commander Fasulo

• Marisol Sacramento as Errolyn Romero

• Michael Paré as Varney

• Glenn Plummer as Psycho Mike

• Kevin Chapman as Sgt. Leeds

• Obba Babatundé as Chief of Police

• Robert Henley Starr as EMT Robert McGinnis

• Rian Bishop as Officer Simpyak

• Rey Borge as Cashier

• Voletta Wallace as Herself

“City of Lies”: Plot

Los Angeles Police Department detective Russell Poole has spent years trying to solve his biggest case -- the murders of The Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur -- but after two decades, the investigation remains open. Jack Jackson, a reporter desperate to save his reputation and career, is determined to find out why. In search of the truth, the two team up and unravel a growing web of institutional corruption and lies.

Photo: JoBlo

“City of Lies” being pulled back from its release date after lawsuit aginst Johnny Depp in 2018

This news came a month after a lawsuit was filed against Depp by location manager Gregg “Rocky” Brooks accusing the actor of assault.

The actor allegedly hit Gregg “Rocky” Brooks repeatedly on April 13, 2017 after being informed that DTLA filming on the Brad Furman helmed pic about the LAPD investigation into the 1997 murder of the Notorious B.I.G. was going to have to wrap up late that night. Hesitant to approach Depp after Furman told him to, the vet location manager went to speak instead to the on-set off duty LAPD officer about the matter. That conversation was seemingly cut short when the apparently booze on the breath Pirates of the Caribbean star supposedly start screaming obscenities at Brooks and proceeded to strike him “twice in the lower left side of his rib cage and causing pain.”

However, the script supervisor on City of Lies, Emma Danoff, had come to the actor's defense. According to her, the altercation took place after Johnny Depp witnessed Gregg Brooks using racial and derogatory slurs to a homeless woman who was in his way. This is when Johnny Depp got involved, as she explained:

“He immediately stood up from our shared seat on the edge of a planter bench and went over to Brooks to stand up for the woman. Mr. Depp said to Mr. Brooks, 'You can't talk to her like that. You think she is something less than you? Who do you think you are? How dare you?”

Obviously this painted a much different picture of events than the lawsuit from Gregg Brooks. Here Johnny Depp was acting altruistically, coming to the defense of someone who needed it, and reportedly taking action a person who was being a bully. Emma Danoff also told The Hollywood Reporter that there were no punches thrown, nor was there an offer by Depp of $100,000 for Brooks to punch him-- as the lawsuit alleged. More than that, she claimed that she had time-stamped photos of the altercation to prove her claim and Johnny Depp's innocence in the matter.

Emma Danoff's defense of Johnny Depp came after the actor's legal team responded to the lawsuit. The defense was rather vague, not admitting to punches thrown by Johnny Depp, but stating that Gregg Brooks made the actor feel unsafe and that any injuries he suffered were due to his own actions. This matter has entered the legal realm so the truth of what really happened will have to be adjudicated through those channels. There was a huge gulf between versions of the events, so the courts may have to decide how to resolve the fiery situation.

'Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell' Trailer: Notorious B.I.G.'s Origin Story Explored on Netflix

If you've ever visited a Jewish summer camp, the one thing I can guarantee you'll hear booming from old-school stereo systems and Apple earpods is rap music, and my memories of summer camp were no different. Each kid would show up with a black Case Logic full of CD's (remember those?), and without fail, the coolest kids would have an extensive rap collection that typically included the Notorious B.I.G. albums Ready to Die and Life After Death.

From "Juicy" to "Big Poppa" to "Hypnotize," we'd listen to these songs while playing cards, talking sports or cleaning our bunks, and even though we were a bunch of white Jews from the various suburbs of New England, everyone seemed to appreciate the lyrical genius of B.I.G., aka Christopher Wallace, whose remarkable life was tragically cut short in March 1997 at the young age of 24.

Now, the late rapper's mother, Voletta Wallace, and his close pal, Sean "Diddy" Combs, have teamed with Netflix for the documentary Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell, for which a trailer was just released. And folks, this looks like the real deal.

Made in collaboration with Biggie’s estate and featuring the people who knew him best, I Got A Story To Tell is described as an intimate rendering of a man whose rapid ascent and tragic end has been at the center of rap lore for more than 20 years. This intimate documentary features rare footage filmed by his best friend, Damion “D-Roc” Butler, and new interviews with his closest friends and family, revealing a side of Christopher Wallace that the world never knew.

Emmett Malloy directed the Netflix documentary and executive produced alongside his brother, Brendan Malloy, as well as Combs, Voletta Wallace, Mark Pitts and Stanley Buchthal. The film was produced by David Koh, Wayne Barrow, William Green, Aaron L. Ginsburg, Terry Leopard and Daniel Pappas.

"City of Lies" (New 2021): Trailer

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