The biopic on the life of Tupac Shakur has been upped a notch now that it’s set to be penned by Oscar nominated screenwriters.
As previously reported, “Training Day” director Antoine Fuqa confirmed that he would be working on the project alongside James G. Robinson, the chairman of Morgan Creek productions.
Now joining them on the project are Oscar-nominated screenwriters Stephen J. Rivele and Chris Wilkinson.
The film is said to focus on the rapper’s final days leading up to his death in Las Vegas and contain a series of flashbacks.
Wilkinson, who says he “knew nothing” of Tupac before working on the project, described him to Vulture Magazine as,
“It became clear that he was essentially a 19th century Romantic poet who found himself in the 21st century … an artist whose character is at odds with his medium …a really sensitive, very romantic, talented young poet who also could sing, dance, and act. But the realities [of the hip-hop record business] were that he had to create this persona of the gangster.”
The screenwriters say they have yet to cast the lead role, but Fuqua previously expressed interest in finding an unknown actor to play the emcee.
Production is set to start later this year.
