Three years ago, City of Lies was one month away from hitting theaters before it was pulled by its distributor due to Johnny Depp’s less-than-flattering public image at the time. Now, the crime drama is finally scheduled to hit select theaters and VOD on March 19th, and a newly revealed trailer is streaming below.
In case you forgot — which, considering how much time has passed since the first trailer came out in 2018, would be understandable — City of Lies is based on the true story of The Notorious B.I.G.’s death in 1997. Directed by Brad Furman, the movie follows a retired LAPD detective named Russell Poole (Depp) and a journalist (Forest Whitaker) as they try to uncover the identities of those responsible for the murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. Allegedly a handful of core details in the movie were pulled from LAbyrinth, a nonfiction book about the event by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Randall Sullivan.
The new trailer begins by setting the scene of Biggie’s death and highlighting the suspicious silence on the matter by the Los Angeles police department. After being approached by Whitaker’s character, Depp can be seen getting roped into the cold case and the two quickly begin their investigation. Unsurprisingly, they run into a number of dead ends along the way, which results in flipping tables, shooting guns, and a whole lot of spiraling curiosity.
“As long as it’s an ongoing investigation, some evidence stays locked away in the dark,” says Depp in the trailer, audibly annoyed. It’s meant to tease the plot twists that are likely in store in the movie, but it also serves as a reminder of how tricky the justice system is. Here’s hoping the City of Lies can deliver in its depiction of both. Watch the trailer in full below.
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Last year, The Notorious B.I.G. was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he became immortalized as a Funko Pop, and his iconic plastic crown was auctioned off for a whopping $594,000. If all of this news has you eager to revisit his work, then consider checking out his previously unreleased freestyle that just resurfaced or watch the new documentary Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell that hit Netflix last week with his estate’s approval.
