With Straight Outta Compton heading towards an August 14, 2015 debut, it’s got to finish casting up soon.  When the release date news hit, we got that shot of stars O’Shea Jackson Jr.Jason Mitchell and Corey Hawkins right along with their real life counterparts, Ice CubeEazy-E, and Dr. Dre, respectively, and now we just got word that another actor has joined in, too.

Paul Giamatti is reportedly on board to portray NWA’s manager and Ruthless Records co-founder, Jerry Heller.  Hit the jump for more on Heller’s work and additional information on the film as well.

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According to THR, Giamatti just closed his deal to play Heller in Straight Outta Compton.  Prior to managing talent in the West Coast hip hop and rap scene, Heller worked with icons including Elton John, Pink Floyd, Marvin Gaye, Van Morrison, Journey and more.  Heller then met Eazy-E in 1987 and the two teamed up to create Ruthless Records.  Heller also managed NWA, but some complained that he was the reason for the group’s downfall because he played favorites rather than taking care of the group as a whole.

F. Gary Gray is set to direct for Universal with Ice Cube and Dr. Dre as well as Matt Alvarez and Tomica Woods-Wright on board to produce.  Back in April, Ice Cube told Collider that the film will begin shooting in July, but it doesn’t seem as though principal photography has begun just yet.

Here’s the official synopsis for Straight Outta Compton:

In the mid-1980s, the streets of Compton, California, were some of the most dangerous in the country.  When five young men translated their experiences growing up into brutally honest music that rebelled against abusive authority, they gave an explosive voice to a silenced generation.  Following the meteoric rise and fall of N.W.A., STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON tells the astonishing story of how these youngsters revolutionized music and pop culture forever the moment they told the world the truth about life in the hood and ignited a cultural war.

Starring O’Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins and Jason Mitchell as Ice Cube, Dr. Dre and Eazy-E, STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON is directed by F. Gary Gray (FridaySet It OffThe Italian Job).  The drama is produced by original N.W.A. members Ice Cube and Dr. Dre, who are joined by fellow producers Matt Alvarez and Tomica Woods-Wright.  Will Packer serves as executive producer of the film alongside Gray.

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Image via Universal