Los Angeles: Actor Paul Giamatti has signed up to play record label boss Jerry Heller in Universal`s next `Straight Outta Compton`.
The 47-year-old actor will star as the Ruthless Records co-founder who went onto manage rap group NWA, reportedly.
Original members Ice Cube and Dr Dre serve as producers on the biopic, which will be directed by `Law Abiding Citizen` filmmaker F Gary Gray.
Set in the mid-1980s, the film will follow the rise and fall of the Compton, California rap group. Heller originally signed the group, but was blamed for playing a role in the break-up that followed Dre and Ice Cube`s exit.
Oscar-nominated Giamatti`s recent credits include `12 Years A Slave`, `The Amazing Spider-Man 2` and `Downton Abbey`.
`Straight Outta Compton` is scheduled for release on August 14, 2015 in the US.
