Johnny Depp's thriller City of Lies, about the late rapper Notorious B.I.G, has been pulled from cinemas a month before its scheduled release.
The film, formerly titled Labryinth, stars Depp and Forrest Whittaker, and was supposed to open in North America on 7 September via Global Road Entertainment.
Directed by Brad Furman, the film follows LAPD detective Russell Poole [Depp] who is investigating the murder of Notorious B.I.G, also known as Biggie Smalls, a year after the murder of his former friend-turned-rival and fellow rapper Tupac Shakur.
Whittaker portrays journalist Jack Johnson, who teams up with Poole to solve Biggie's murder. The film is based on the non-fiction book Labyrinth by Randall Sullivan, which covers the investigation into Biggie's death. His murder remains unsolved.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Global Road Entertainment confirmed to industry press that the film would no longer be released in the US on 7 September, but did not set a new date or give any reason for why the film had been pulled from its slated release.
City Of Lies' production process was blighted by reports of misbehaviour by Depp, including an allegation that he assaulted a crew member - former location manager Greg 'Rocky' Brooks - on set in LA. Brooks filed a lawsuit in July for unspecified damages.
The suit, which also names the film's director and producers, claims that Depp verbally abused Brooks before punching him twice in the ribs, after he tried to enforce permit restrictions while the production team was filming outside a hotel in downtown LA. He alleges he was later sacked for refusing to sign a declaration saying he would not sue Good Film Productions after the incident.
Depp also recently settled a $25m fraud case against his former business managers, a month before the trial was set to begin.
