Benny Boom Responds To John Singleton’s 2Pac Biopic Bashing: “This Is The First Time I’m Speaking About It Publicly”

Written By Cyrus Langhorne

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All Eyez On Me filmmaker Benny Boom has broken his silence. The iconic music video director has stepped forward to address disses fired his way from Hollywood veteran John Singleton.

In a new interview, Boom credited himself as the right director to tell 2Pac’s life story largely due to the fact he didn’t personally know him.

“I never met Tupac. I think me knowing him and respecting him as a fan from the outside made me the person that was needed to make this movie. [Some of] the other directors involved in the project had intimate relationships with Pac. They knew Pac, they were friends with him, or had worked with him before. There was a lot of stuff that would not have made it such a clean slate and the objective approach to filmmaking we’re able to do here. I think the historical importance of Tupac is a hard story to tell, and needed to be guided by somebody who had his best interests at heart in the storytelling, and not be self-serving in any way, shape, or form.” (GQ)

Benny also addressed the lack of support from previous All Eyez On Me director John Singleton.

“I know John, and this is the first time I’m speaking about it publicly. But I feel like we have brothers who you think are supposed to support, and they don’t support. The community we have of directors of color is very small. I’m not saying you’re supposed to go out and cheerlead for everybody. But there needs to be support. And support sometimes just means not saying anything. I would never take shots at my brother. I’m not gonna do that because I know how detrimental it is, especially to someone who laid the groundwork and opened up doors. I respect John for that. John was nominated for an Academy Award as director, for screenplay and director. Brother [Barry] Jenkins won Best Picture, but we still don’t have the Best Director win.” (GQ)

Earlier this year, John trashed All Eyez On Me and said he would not watch it.

“They were trying to tell me, ‘me’ how to make a movie about Pac. Come on now. Really. So I was like – No I didn’t back out gracefully. I was like putting them on their backs. I don’t even have to speak on that anymore. Y’all just see when it comes out – I don’t have to see it. Come on. It ain’t me, so I don’t have to see it.” (“The Breakfast Club”)

Back in 2015, multiple directors including John Singleton had been replaced.

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)

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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.

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