08 September 2016
Newsdesk
Johnny Depp is reportedly in talks to portray the Los Angeles police detective who attempted to solve the murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls.
Insiders claim the Pirates of the Caribbean star is the frontrunner to play Russell Poole in Labyrinth.
Poole uncovered corruption within the L.A. police department while investigating the deaths of the rap stars.
Brad Furman is on board to direct, according to multiple sources.
The film will be based on Randall Sullivan's book Labyrinth.
Poole retired from the police force in 1999 and set up his own detective agency. He died of an apparent heart attack last year (15) while discussing the Tupac and Biggie cases at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for a book he was working on.
He joined the LAPD in 1981 and spent a decade as a homicide investigator. Prior to his involvement in the Notorious B.I.G. murder case, Poole led the investigation into the murder of Bill Cosby's son Ennis.
He was also involved in the infamous Rampart scandal following the death of LAPD officer Kevin Gaines, who was killed in a road rage dispute after he brandished a gun at another motorist, who was an undercover cop.
Poole made waves in the police force when he accused LAPD officer David Mack of being complicit in the 1997 murder of Notorious B.I.G. He sent his findings to then-Los Angeles Police Department chief Bernard C. Parks, who ordered Poole to cease all investigations of Mack.
He retired from the force and filed a lawsuit against the LAPD for violating his First Amendment rights by preventing him from going to the public with his information.
He featured in director Nick Broomfield's 2001 documentary Biggie & Tupac.
