Lauren London is stepping into one of the most meaningful roles of her career, joining the cast of Universal Pictures’ upcoming Snoop Dogg biopic, Snoop.
According to Deadline, London has been cast as Beverly Tate, the late mother of legendary rapper Snoop Dogg. Tate played an important role in her son’s life and was the woman who gave him the childhood nickname “Snoopy,” inspired by his love of the Peanuts character. That nickname would eventually evolve into the iconic stage name the world knows today.
London joins a growing cast that already includes Jonathan Daviss as Snoop Dogg and Myles Bullock as Dr. Dre. Camron Jones has also been cast as Tupac Shakur, adding another major figure from Snoop’s rise during the Death Row Records era.
The casting of London is particularly notable because she has a longstanding connection to Snoop Dogg. Early in her career, London appeared in Snoop’s 2002 music video for “From tha Chuuuch to da Palace” and later appeared in the video for his 2004 hit “Drop It Like It’s Hot.”
Beverly Tate, who died in 2021, was more than Snoop’s mother. She was a church choir director and an important influence on her son’s upbringing and spiritual foundation. Snoop has continued to honor her legacy throughout his career, including dedicating his 2025 gospel album Altar Call to her.
Snoop is being directed by Craig Brewer, who is working from a rewritten screenplay based on an original script by Joe Robert Cole, co-writer of Black Panther. Snoop Dogg is producing the film alongside Brian Grazer, Allan Mandelbaum and Death Row Pictures president Sara Ramaker.
The movie will feature music from Snoop Dogg’s extensive catalog and marks the first film produced under Death Row Pictures’ overall deal with NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios.
Universal Pictures has scheduled Snoop for a theatrical release on August 6, 2027.
With London portraying the woman behind the nickname that became one of hip-hop’s most recognizable names, Snoop is shaping up to offer audiences a closer look at the family, friendships and experiences that helped shape Snoop Dogg before he became a global icon.
