Hip-Hop biographical flicks have been proven to take a bit of time to get off the ground and into production but the infamous Tupac biopic has defied the odds and long moved into Detox territory.
According to new findings from The Hollywood Reporter, famed music director Benny Boom is currently in negotiations to take over as director, following the unceremonious departure of John Singleton.
The youngest director to ever be nominated for an Academy Award (1991’s Boyz n the Hood) left the project back in April after babysitting its slow moving progress for several years. He was eventually replaced by Carl Franklin, but that manuever appeared to be a temporary fix for cosmetic purposes.
In October, Morgan Creek, the company with sole rights to the Tupac biopic, were slapped with a $10 million lawsuit for an alleged breach in the contract of a co-production agreement by selecting a lead actor and setting a budget and production schedule without the producer’s Emmett/Furla’s approval.
As for Boom, 44, his musical track record speaks for himself; having shot videos for superstar Hip-Hop and R&B artists such as 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, Keyshia Cole, Lil Wayne and Meek Mill over the past decade. He also won Video Director of the Year at the 2009 BET Awards and has directed two motion pictures in 2009’s Next Day Air and 2011’s S.W.A.T.: Firefight.
In the wake of the monster success of Straight Outta Compton, Morgan Creek is betting the house that Boom’s Hip-Hop background will take the Tupac biopic to the box office promised land.
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Photo: Judy Eddy / WENN
