2Pac Back….Almost, Biopic Loses Director

Written By Cyrus Langhorne

1.6k Views 7 Comments

Famous director John Singleton has reportedly bowed out of the opportunity to direct the highly-anticipated Tupac Shakur biopic and will be replaced.

According to reports, creative differences ultimately sparked Singleton’s departure.

“There are major creative differences,” an individual with knowledge of the project said. “Honestly, Morgan Creek can make a sub-par Tupac movie and move on. If John Singleton makes a bad Tupac movie? It’s something he’d have to live with for the rest of his life.” Carl Franklin, who directed Denzel Washington in 1995’s “Devil in a Blue Dress,” will replace Singleton, TheWrap has learned. Franklin is repped by Paradigm, Anonymous Content and attorney Lawrence Rose. (TheWrap)

A couple years ago, reports claimed the project’s financial woes had been resolved courtesy of some big contributions.

Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films is teaming with Morgan Creek Productions to co-finance and co-produce Tupac, creating a new urgency for the long-gestating biopic on the hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur. They are working with a script by Eddie Gonzalez and Jeremy Haft, and a new draft is expected in two weeks. Several companies battled for the rights to partner on the film with Jim Robinson‘s Morgan Creek before MCP president David Robinson sealed the deal with EFO. They are eyeing a February start date and a $45 million budget. They have the rights to exploit Tupac’s musical catalog, and his mother, Afeni Shakur, will be a producer on the film. (Deadline)

Although an exact start date had not been revealed, iniitial plans were for filming to begin in Atlanta.

The movie has nearly come together in several previous incarnations with numerous directors and actors circling. Now that the money is in place, they will set a filmmaker quickly and begin casting up the film. They haven’t decided on whether to get an established young actor to play the rapper, or to make a discovery. UPDATE: Morgan Creek has confirmed Deadline’s report in a news release. It added that LT Hutton also is aboard as a producer and that the film will shoot in Atlanta. (Deadline)

In 2013, movie director Antoine Fuqua said he was still on board for the project, however, admitted there was no script in place.

There were various start dates also mentioned for a biopic about late rapper Tupac Shakur, and while that project vanished from sight, Fuqua claims the project is fully funded, but still suffering from script complications. “It was announced too soon,” Fuqua lamented. “I have a deal for Tupac, but the script is not there yet, and its being worked on. Somehow someone started talking about it, it got out there and went crazy, but it was always a situation of, let’s make sure we have a great script, and get it right.” When asked what the story would deal with, Fuqua promises a focus on, “the last few days, that trip from LA to Vegas, and where his head was during that journey.” (The Playlist)

7 Comments

Written by Cyrus Langhorne

SOHH.com Writer. You're likely to find me covering hip-hop news and music releases. Netflix is still my go-to before Disney Plus.

7 Comments

  1. Bad move Hollywood! Unlike all the other directors, John knew Pac and was close to him!

  2. that sucks but its true that if singleton made a wack pac flik he could never live it down

    • But if Im a gambling man, I want the director that knew him personally to deliver it. That would just be the risk Im willing to take!

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