Paul Giamatti's street cred just shot through the roof.
The “Amazing Spider-Man 2” star has joined the cast of Universal's N.W.A biopic “Straight Outta Compton” as the group's manager Jerry Heller, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Oscar-nominated actor joins Jason Mitchell (Eazy-E), Corey Hawkins (Dr. Dre), Aldis Hodge (MC Ren), Neil Brown, Jr. (DJ Yella) and Ice Cube's real-life son O'Shea Jackson Jr. (as his famous father) in the upcoming film, which will track the meteoric rise of the pioneering rap group who “told the world the truth about life in the hood and ignited a cultural war” over the course of three platinum-selling records.
Heller, who represented such top-selling rock acts as Pink Floyd, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Elton John and Black Sabbath before cofounding trailblazing West Coast hip-hop label Ruthless Records in 1987, served as N.W.A's manager from 1987 until their breakup in 1991. The relationship between Heller and the group was notoriously rocky, with many of the group's members criticizing what they saw as an unfair financial split between themselves and the manager over the course of their association.
“Straight Outta Compton” is being directed by F. Gary Gray (“Law Abiding Citizen,” “Be Cool”) and produced by original N.W.A members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre. The film is currently shooting on location in Compton and is slated for release on August 14, 2015.
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