USA Network’s pilot “Unsolved” — the true crime series that will chronicle the two major police investigations into the separate murders of rappers Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls — has cast Tupac and Biggie. Marcc Rose will play Tupac and newcomer Wavyy Jonez will play Biggie.
“Unsolved” is not the first project in which Rose has played Tupac — he also portrayed the rapper in the film “Straight Outta Compton,” which is his only acting credit to date. For Jonez, “Unsolved” marks the acting debut for the rapper who was discovered during a nation-wide casting call for the part. Auditioning among hundreds of other hopefuls, Jonez’s tape caught the attention of Anthony Hemingway, who will serve as executive producer and director on the pilot.
The duo joins previously announced stars Josh Duhamel, Jimmi Simpson and Bokeem Woodbine, who will all play detectives that were integral in the cases surrounding the highly-publicized murders.
“Unsolved” is based on the experiences of former LAPD Detective Greg Kading, played by Duhamel, who led multiple law-enforcement task forces investigating the murders. Kading consulted on the script and will serve as a co-executive producer on the pilot, which hails from Universal Cable Productions. Hemingway will exec produce along with Mark Taylor and Kyle Long, who wrote the pilot.
Tupac was shot and killed at the age of 25 in Las Vegas in 1996. Biggie Smalls was shot and killed at 24-years-old in Los Angeles just six months later. Both of the murders remain unsolved today.
