2Pac Biopic Starts Taking Form, Looking For Its Dr. Dre, Notorious B.I.G. & Faith Evans

The long-awaited 2Pac biopic is reportedly taking shape with casting calls for music moguls Dr. Dre, Notorious B.I.G. and Faith Evans having gone out.

According to reports, the production has already started searching for actors and actresses for the flick including a famous pop icon.

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)

Check out what money woes the Tupac Shakur flick ran into on the next page…

According to reports, creative differences ultimately sparked director John Singleton’s departure from the biopic this spring.

“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)