Johnny Depp’s Notorious B.I.G. Murder Drama City Of Lies Releasing This Month

After a long series of delays, the Johnny Depp-led drama about the investigation into Notorious B.I.G.’s murder is releasing this month. Saban Films has announced that City of Lies, which stars Depp as LAPD detective Russell Poole alongside Forest Whitaker, will release in theaters on March 19th followed by an On Demand release on April 9th.

The film is based on Randall Sullivan’s book LAByrinth and was originally set for release on September 7th, 2018. However, a lawsuit between Depp and the film’s location manager forced it to be pulled off the release schedule. The lawsuit was over allegations that Depp punched the location manager, though sveral members of the crew including script supervisor Emma Danoff said that is was merely a verbal altercation and no punches were thrown and it was over in a very short time. Director Brad Furman and others alleged that the film was being suppressed because of how the LAPD is depicted in the film. It was ultimately released in Italy in limited format in 2019.

The film’s official synopsis reads:

Based on the book, LAByrinth, by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Randall Sullivan, this compelling crime-thriller follows the investigation into the infamous murder of iconic rap artist Christopher Wallace aka The Notorious B.I.G. Oscar® nominee Johnny Depp stars as determined LAPD detective Russell Poole, who spent nearly 20 years trying to solve the murder, and Oscar® and Primetime Emmy® winner Forest Whitaker as Jack Jackson, a journalist who teams up with Poole in search of the elusive truth. Together they explore why the case remains cold — and why a secret division of the LAPD is seemingly set on keeping it that way.