Photo of Jamal Woolard as Notorious B.I.G

Fox Searchlight has released this first official photo of Jamal "Gravy" Woolard as The Notorious B.I.G. for the January 16, 2009 biopic Notorious. Controvery has already started as well. According to a recent NY Times article, Woolard was in the running for the part months before the public casting call.

"Not part of the open call in New York in October, Mr. Woolard had been under consideration since November, and was quietly being groomed by the film’s director, George Tillman Jr., before being officially selected. “We set up a boot camp for three months just for him,” Mr. Tillman said from New York, where he is preparing to begin production with Robert Teitel, his partner in State Street Pictures.