‘The People VS. O.J. Simpson’ Director To Bring Tupac/Biggie Crime Series To USA

Next year is shaping up to be a memorable one in television. Just a few months after announcing a film highlighting the deaths of music legends Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, a true crime series on their unsolved crimes is headed to USA.

Variety reports Thursday (Nov. 10), the network announced the series Unsolved will be spearheaded by The People vs. O.J Simpson director Anthony Hemingway. The series will simultaneously tell the stories of the police investigations into the rappers’ deaths.

Shakur was 25 when he lost his life in a drive-by shooting in September 1996. A year later, Smalls was fatally shot at the age of 24. Speculations have been raised about their deaths by former detectives and conspiracy theory enthusiasts, but the series will use LAPD Detective Greg Kading’s book, “Murder Rap: The Untold Story of Biggie Smalls & Tupac Shakur Murder Investigations,” as source material.

Kading, who lead task forces on the crimes, will also be a co-exec producer for the pilot. Suits writer Kyle Long will write the pilot with Hemingway and his producing partner Mark Taylor. The series will more than likely show stark contrasts from the upcoming film, Labyrinth which follows the late LAPD detective Russell Poole’s theory on the murders.

The true crime trend is going strong. The People vs. O.J Simpson Emmy wins showcased the parallels between nostalgia and newfound revelations on the most memorable moments in pop culture. For the next installments of American Crime Story, creator Ryan Murphy will take on Hurricane Katrina and the death of Gianni Versace.

NBC is also participating in the trend by highlighting the Mendez brothers on the upcoming series, Law & Order: True Crime.

Hemingway’s vision is a trusted one. The director has filmed episodes of Orange Is the New Black, Empire, Glee, The Newsroom, CSI:NY, Treme, True Blood and Shameless. He’s also dived into films with the 2012 effort, Red Tails.

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