A little known New York rapper will portray slain star Notorious B.I.G. in a biopic of the late hip-hop icon's life. Producers Fox Searchlight - who wanted to avoid recruiting a well-known name - picked Brooklyn-based Jamal Woolard out of 100 hopefuls for the film, which will document the tragic rapper's childhood, his rise to fame and his untimely 1997 death in a Los Angeles drive-by shooting.

Directed by George Tillman Jr., the film - entitled Notorious - goes into production later this month and is set for release in January 2009.

The producers held an open casting call last autumn in the hope of finding a realistic Notorious B.I.G. lookalike who could imitate the late star's rapping style, rather than hire a professional actor to play the part.

Reggae star Sean Kingston and rapper Beanie Sigel were among the stars turned down.

Woolard - also known as Gravy - released a number of albums on independent labels in the 1990s before being signed by Warner Bros. In 1999, he was involved in a New York radio station shooting, but survived the attack.

Notorious B.I.G.'s mother Voletta Wallace - who refers to her late son by his real name Christopher Wallace - insists "Jamal's charming personality, warm spirit, wonderful sense of humor and beautiful smile" was the reason he was cast in the role.

She adds, "He is a talented and charismatic actor, and I am excited that he will bring Christopher's character to life."

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)