Rap legend Snoop Dogg is trading the main stage for the rodeo arena, signing on to star in and produce God of the Rodeo, a period prison drama slated to film in Oklahoma this summer. The feature adapts journalist Daniel Bergner’s reporting from inside Louisiana’s Angola prison and centers on the facility’s controversial inmate rodeo in the 1960s. Local production companies and state officials say the shoot is expected to bring several weeks of on-location work for Oklahoma crews and vendors.
Industry trades report that Snoop has boarded the film as both performer and producer, with Rosalind Ross set to direct alongside a producing team that includes Giannina Scott and Ridley Scott. According to Deadline, the latest announcement builds on a project that was already on Hollywood’s radar for its creative lineup, while early coverage of the casting and state pre-approval ran on News 9.
Per the Oklahoma Film + Music Office, God of the Rodeo is conditionally prequalified for the state’s Filmed in Oklahoma rebate program, and the current production calendar lists principal photography from June 15 through July 31, 2026. The Oklahoma Film + Music Office site shows the title registered under HELLO THERE MISS LLC with a Rebellium contact for crew inquiries.
From book to set
The screenplay draws from Daniel Bergner’s 1998 reporting on Angola’s prison rodeo, which chronicled the event as both spectacle and a fraught public ritual. As The Christian Science Monitor noted at the time, Bergner’s account blends vivid on-the-ground detail with probing questions about redemption and punishment, themes the filmmakers say they aim to tackle on screen. That mix of setting and moral tension is a key reason producers tapped the book as their source material.
Local crews and scouting
Production services company Rebellium, a regular player in Oklahoma’s growing film scene, told a local industry podcast that teams have been scouting rural locations and will oversee day-to-day logistics for the shoot. Behind the Scenes Oklahoma reports that production reps have already visited Tulsa and discussed possible filming in towns such as Bully and Fort Gibson.
Cast and production history
The project first started turning heads when Shia LaBeouf was announced in the lead role last year and Rosalind Ross was identified as the writer-director. Coverage of LaBeouf’s attachment appeared in industry roundups and was republished on outlets such as Yahoo, while the film’s pre-production listing and synopsis are reflected on the project’s IMDb entry. The casting evolution, from LaBeouf to the later addition of Snoop, has turned God of the Rodeo into a high-profile opportunity for Oklahoma crews.
Beyond the marquee names, Oklahoma’s production calendar notes that projects accepted into the Filmed in Oklahoma Act may qualify for rebate uplifts and apprenticeship requirements, which can translate into local hiring and training opportunities. Crew members interested in God of the Rodeo can consult the Oklahoma Film + Music Office directory for contact details and application timelines; the listing for the film includes a production contact and an email for resumes, as outlined by the Oklahoma Film + Music Office.
