Hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg once said, “When I’m no longer rapping, I want to open up an ice cream parlor and call myself Scoop Dogg.”
Well, the 50-year-old musician, rapper, entrepreneur, sports coach and movie star is still doing his thing on the mic as he also expands a growing empire with a net worth of more than $150M.
He’s truly one of the most successful and recognized rappers of all-time. From his ability to stay true to his marijuana mission and keep his love in the streets, while coaching youth football and maintaining a deeply-rooted friendship with Martha Stewart
Snoop’s latest endeavor is a return to the big screen to star in MGM’s new comedy, “The Underdoggs”, about an NFL player who agrees to coach a youth football team to avoid going to jail. Snoop will produce the picture under his Death Row Pictures imprint with “black-ish” creator Kenya Barris.
We have waited too long to see Snoop’s return to the big screen. His performance in Soul Plane elevated him to another acting stratosphere.
He’s done some other films but never with the backing of a Hollywood honcho like Barris. this is the opportunity Snoop has been waiting for. Movies with a message.
“Giving back to the community through football has taught us so many invaluable life lessons that we’ve been able to share with kids in similar situations like mine when I was growing up. My hope is that this movie will shed light on the realities that kids and adults face in the hood and within the complex world of football,” Snoop said in a statement.
Snoop’s love of football and using it to help inner-city kids in his hometown of Los Angeles has been well documented.
The Snoop Youth Football League (SYFL) was founded in 2005 by Snoop and his business partner Constance Schwartz-Morini. Snoop has been a coach in the league for the past 15 years.
“Snoop’s longtime commitment to his community via his youth football league is hugely inspiring to all of us at MGM. We are thrilled to be working alongside this incredible creative team to bring this great comedy to moviegoing audiences, and to further MGM’s commitment to the theatrical exhibition when it hits theaters next October,” MGM COO Chris Brearton said in a statement.
The movie has a bit of the 1976 classic “Bad News Bears” and the 1992 Disney classic “Mighty Ducks.” Those films were about baseball and hockey respectively, so football was due its turn.
Charles Stone will direct a script written by Danny Segal and Isaac Schamis that is based off the original pitch from Snoop and Schwartz-Morini, with Snoop starring as Jaycen “2J’s” Jenning, a former NFL superstar who has a run-in with police.
In addition to Barris, Snoop, and Schwartz-Morini, producer credits will also go to Mychelle Deschamps and Jonathan Glickman.
The broad strokes of the storyline are simple enough, if not predictable. Hopefully, the writing will be sharp and witty to allow Snoop to deliver some of his classic cool and dry humor.
It will also be interesting to see how they show footage of Jaycen Jenning, NFL superstar. The NFL has policies on how its logos and team names are used in entertainment properties. It usually comes down to money.
Does MGM believe that spending cash to have “the real thing” included in its movie will be worth it based on the anticipated revenue? That remains to be seen.
Will Barris’ involvement be a big value add? Also, what about the other actors who decide to come aboard as co-stars both from Hollywood and the NFL? Will we see cameos from current players? Who is going to play Snoop’s inevitable love interest?
There is a formula for these types of movies, and it’s pretty successful. If MGM sticks to it and mixes in the right elements the movie should be a success.
“The Underdoggs” is set to premiere in theaters Oct. 20, 2023.
