Universal Pictures' biopic "Snoop" has locked down four more key figures from Calvin Broadus Jr.'s inner circle, adding real hip-hop history to an already stacked cast list. Laya DeLeon Hayes, Olly Sholotan, Corey Champagne and Jonica Booth have joined the film, according to a Deadline report that broke the casting news this week.

DeLeon Hayes will play Shante Broadus, Snoop's wife of nearly three decades. Sholotan takes on rapper Kurupt, one of Snoop's closest collaborators from the Dogg Pound era. Champagne steps into the role of Nate Dogg, the late G-funk hitmaker and frequent Snoop collaborator, and Booth will portray Lady of Rage, the Death Row Records rapper known for her work on "Doggystyle." The additions were also confirmed by Blex Media and CurationsLA.

A crowded, high-stakes ensemble

The new names join a cast that already includes Jonathan Daviss as Snoop himself, Myles Bullock as Dr. Dre, Camron Jones as Tupac Shakur, Tre Hale as Suge Knight, and Lauren London as Snoop's late mother, Beverly Tate. That's a dense roster of real people whose families, estates and legal teams tend to watch biopic portrayals closely — raising the degree of difficulty for a film that's essentially reconstructing the birth of West Coast gangsta rap on screen.

Craig Brewer, the director behind "Hustle & Flow" and "Dolemite Is My Name," is directing from a rewrite of Joe Robert Cole's original script. The story is expected to track Broadus's rise from Long Beach to global stardom, centered on his partnership with Dr. Dre and the making of his 1993 debut album "Doggystyle" — one of the best-selling rap records of all time.

The film chronicles Calvin Broadus Jr.'s rise from Long Beach to hip-hop stardom, built around his partnership with Dr. Dre and the making of "Doggystyle."

Production is set to begin in mid-September in and around Los Angeles, with Universal targeting an August 6, 2027 theatrical release. With filming just weeks away, expect a steady drip of additional casting reveals and first-look photos as the studio builds anticipation for what's shaping up to be one of next year's most closely watched music biopics.