The life of Tupac Shakur has always been a popular subject amongst Hip Hop fans. Now it seems Hollywood has gained interest as well, with some stellar talent attached.
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Director Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) has now reached an agreement with Estate trustee Tom Whalley (of Amaru Entertainment) to produce a full-length documentary on the hip-hop legend (via Deadline). Nigel Sinclair’s White Horse Pictures and Jayson Jackson will produce the project, and for Sinclair, it is the latest in a series of musical documentaries. Tupac Shakur’s aunt Gloria Cox will also be executive producing alongside Jeanne Elfant Festa of White Horse.
McQueen views this as a chance to really uncover the man behind the music. “I am extremely moved and excited to be exploring the life and times of this legendary artist. I attended NYU film school in 1993 and can remember the unfolding hip-hop world and mine overlapping with Tupac’s through a mutual friend in a small way. Few, if any shined brighter than Tupac Shakur. I look forward to working closely with his family to tell the unvarnished story of this talented man.”
The project will also have access to Tupac’s entire music catalog through Interscope Records and Universal Publishing Group, which should only aid the film and the story it’s wanting to tell. Tupac had quite the diverse catalog, mirroring the internal struggles Shakur dealt with throughout his career. He wore his emotions on his sleeve with tracks like Unconditional Love, Letter 2 My Unborn Child, Do For Love, and Dear Mama, but could turn around and express his rage on songs like Hit Em Up, Hellrazor, and Last Wordz. He could also get political and inspiring, like on Changes, Me Against The World, and Thugz Mansion. All differing sides to his personality, and hopefully that will be a big focal point of this new peak into the hip hop icon.
It’s not the only project in development either, as Lionsgate is also producing a biography film called All Eyez On Me. Their project is a feature film though and will follow Tupac’s life from his early career to jail and eventually Death Row Records. The information on that film is located below.
All Eyez On Me is directed by Benny Boom with Jeremy N. Haft, Eddie Gonzalez and Steven Bagatourian writing the screenplay. The film stars Demetrius Shipp Jr. as Tupac Shakur, Danai Gurira as Afeni Shakur, Jada Pinkett as Kat Graham, Annie Ilonzeh as Kidada Jones, Dominic L. Santana as Suge Knight, Jamal Woolard as Biggie Smalls, Keith Robinson as Atron, John West Jr. as Treach, Lauren Cohan as Leila Steinberg, Cory Hardrict as Hatian Jack, Grace Gibson as Faith Evans, Brandon Sauve as Ted Field, Josh Ventura as Tom Whalley, Azad Arnaud as Daz, Harold House Moore as Dr. Dre, and Khadija Copeland as Queen Latifah.
MORE TUPAC: All Eyez On Me Gets An Official Release Date / New All Eyez On Me Trailer Released / Tupac And Pearl Jam Lead The Way For Rock Hall Of Fame
