Cyrus Langhorne
After recently announcing director Benny Boom would helm a long-awaited biopic on late hip-hop mogul 2Pac, pictures from the set have surfaced online.
According to reports, the flick’s production started earlier this week in Atlanta, Georgia.
Demetrius Shipp, Jr. is getting his big break playing Pac in Morgan Creek Production’s, “All Eyez On Me.” Production sources tell us Demetrius’ father worked in the music biz, and crossed paths with Tupac when Demetrius was a kid, and he’s been a huge fan ever since. We’re told producer L.T. Hutton approached Demetrius to star as the rapper in no small part because of the obvious similarities. (TMZ)
In early December, production company Morgan Creek announced it had replaced director Carl Franklin for the film.
The company, which has been working for years to bring the late rapper’s story to the big screen, is operating with a sense of urgency given that the music rights will revert back to Shakur’s mother, Afeni Shakur, at the end of the year if the film isn’t in production by then. Carl Franklin was poised to direct as recently as the summer, picking up the baton after John Singleton dropped out in April and trashed Morgan Creek in the process. (Billboard)
Benny Boom confirmed recent buzz about being hired to direct on social media earlier this month.
Production and casting for the biopic reportedly started to take place last summer.
Still no word who will play Tupac.And now the production is casting for Dr. Dre, Biggie Smalls, and Faith Evans. But the Morgan Creek-produced film has a start date of October. Of course, “Tupac” becomes much more incendiary with the main character’s unsolved murder. Also, the production may have to cast Madonna, who now talks about her 1993 affair with the rapper openly. (Showbiz 411)
