Just days after director John Singleton announced the Tupac Shakur biopic was on hold, the director has decided to walk away from the film. “The reason I am not making this picture is because the people involved are not really respectful of the legacy of Tupac Amaru Shakur,” Singleton wrote on Instagram. Carl Franklin (Devil in a Blue Dress and High Crimes) will now serve as the director of the Shakur biopic. Although Singleton has walked away from this particular Shakur biopic, he stated that he is going to film his own version of the rapper’s biopic. Singleton boastfully guaranteed his version will be better than Franklin’s Shakur biopic.
“Tupac was much more than a hip-hop artist. He was a black man guided by his passions. Of most importance was his love of black people and culture; something the people involved in this movie know nothing about,” Singleton wrote. He added, “How you gonna make a movie about a man when you suing his mother to get the rights to tell his story,” the filmmaker asked.
Singleton also claimed that the people involved in Shakur’s biopic don’t have any love for the rapper. “They have no true love for Tupac so this movie will not be made with love. That’s why my ass isn’t involved,” he stated. Singleton continued, “If Tupac knew what was going on, he’d ride on all these fools and take it to the streets. But I won’t do that. I’ll just make my own project.” Franklin’s Shakur biopic will be produced by Morgan Creek Productions, and it will be executive produced by the rapper’s mother, Afeni Shakur.
John Singleton is one of the most decorated film directors of his era. His debut feature film, Boyz n The Hood, earned Singleton an Academy Award nomination for Best Director. The filmmaker became the first African-American and youngest person to be nominated for the Oscar for best director. In 1993, Singleton cast Tupac Shakur in the film Poetic Justice, which also starred Janet Jackson. The filmmakers other movies include Higher Learning, Baby Boy, Shaft, Rosewood, Four Brothers, 2 Fast 2 Furious, and Abduction. Some of his film production credits include Hustle & Flow, Black Snake Moon, and Illegal Tender.
FDRMX Eyes: Nick Deutsch is a singer-songwriter based in New York. Deutsch recently revealed his latest music video for the song, “Crazy Ride.”
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