Reggae sensation Sean Kingston and rapper Beanie Sigel have both missed out on the chance to play late rap superstar Notorious B.i.g. in a new biopic - because the heavyweight star's former manager wants an unknown to land the role.

Wayne Barrow has confirmed the two stars have auditioned to play the slain rapper, real name Christopher Wallace, in the movie, but neither convinced the manager they have what it takes to play his former charge.

He tells Mtv News, "The representation of Christopher Wallace is very hard to find. It's a combination of things. One is the element of the man - his heart condition, his swagger - and beyond that, you have to be able to act."

"You're not coming in there to play this man; you're coming in to portray him. It's totally different. So you have to bring your own sensibility of who you are to the table and your own sense of swagger and put that on the big screen in the way that Christopher Wallace would."