Morgan Creek has been trying really hard to develop a biopic around hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur. Now, after the unprecedented amount of success with Straight Outta Compton, they might get their chance, but they don’t have a lot of time before they hit another major snag. By the end of the year, the music rights will revert back to Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakur, if the film isn’t in production by then. According to a new report, things are moving ahead on that front with interest in music video and commercial director Benny Boom.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Boom, who directed 50 Cent’s “Just a Lil’ Bit” music video, is in the midst of getting hired by Morgan Creek to helm the Tupac film. This update comes after the likes of Carl Franklin, John Singleton, and Antoine Fuqua all boarded and dropped out. The circumstances surrounding their departures didn’t look good when Singleton wrote on Instagram, “The people involved aren’t really respectful of the legacy of Tupac.”
This process has been going on for years and included two lawsuits — one where Morgan Creek sued Afeni for the music rights, and one where producers Emmet/Furla sued Morgan Creek for moving ahead with casting without their approval. It’s easy to see why those involved are eager to move things along as quickly as possible, since now F. Gary Gray’s Straight Outta Compton is now the highest-grossing music biopic of all time and helped thrust Universal past the $2 billion mark at the yearly domestic box office. There was even rumor-y talk of a sequel to Straight Outta Compton focusing more on the characters of Tupac and Snoop Dog, played in the film by Marcc Rose and Keith Stanfield, respectively. Though there hasn’t been any visible movement on that front.
While we wait to see what befalls this troubled Tupac project, Gray’s N.W.A. biopic is coming for an early 2016 home release, including a special director’s cut.