Fellow new release, Lionsgate-Codeblack’s “All Eyez on Me,” is the weekend standout however, pulling $27.1 million in its debut weekend. Though only a third-place finish, it far surpassed analyst expectations of $17 million to $20 million, an unsurprising feat considering the industry's historical inability to properly track films targeting black audiences.
“All Eyez on Me” is the long-awaited biopic about Tupac Shakur, the Harlem-born hip-hop hit maker who, in just 25 years of life, came to define a generation through his music, acting and poetry before that fateful 1996 drive-by shooting. Starring first-time actor Demetrius Shipp Jr., a doppelganger for the “California Love” rapper, the film is titled after Tupac’s final album released before his death. It also stars Danai Gurira as his mother and former Black Panther Afeni Shakur, Kat Graham as Jada Pinkett (Smith) and Annie Ilonzeh as Kidada Jones.
A film that according to producer L.T. Hutton finally got made because of the massive success of 2015’s “Straight Outta Compton” — despite countless biopics about black musicians doing well at the box office before the film charting N.W.A’s rise — “All Eyez” is an audience favorite. Moviegoers (53% male; 62% 25 and older) gave the picture an A-minus CinemaScore. Just about every critic review however is negative, leaving the film, directed by Benny Boom and shepherded through a 20-year gestation period by former Death Row Record producer and Pac confidant Hutton, at a 24% Rotten Tomatoes rating.
Claude Brodesser-Akner - New York Magazine's Vulture
10/12/11 at 10:00 AM
Almost twenty years after directing Tupac Shakur in Poetic Justice, John Singleton is in negotiations to direct a biopic about the slain rapper for Morgan Creek and Universal Pictures. The project had been set up with Training Day director Antoine Fuqua, but we’re told he had difficulty casting the role of Shakur; even a nationwide talent search failed to yield candidates of which Fuqua approved. As such, Fuqua has moved on and is looking at other projects, most notably attaching himself to direct Relativity Media’s Hunter Killer, a thriller about an American submariner and a Navy SEAL team who must work together to rescue the Russian president during a military coup d'état. (Vulture also hears exclusively that Relativity is in talks with Sam Worthington to star in that production.)
Singleton, meanwhile, had also been rumored to be in the running to direct the rapidly coalescing N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton at New Line Cinema, but insiders tell us that he’s instead taking the Tupac gig after the studio said it wanted to see how rival Compton candidate Craig Brewer fares with his update of Footloose, which opens this weekend. (Our prediction: Not well. The latest NRG tracking numbers shared with Vulture show that 80 percent of moviegoers surveyed said that they were aware of Footloose, but only a little more than one in four — just 28 percent — expressed "definite interest" in seeing it. Only 6 percent of moviegoers said it would be their "first choice" at the box office.) Plus, there’s the old “bird in the hand” theory; after Singleton’s Abduction flopped, we can’t imagine too many other studio offers were forthcoming.
The Tupac script comes from Oscar-nominated screenwriters Stephen J. Rivele and Chris Wilkinson (Ali, Nixon), though we’re told the most recent draft is by Brian Tucker; his neo-noir script Broken City starts shooting next month with Allen Hughes directing, and Russell Crowe, Mark Wahlberg, and Catherine Zeta-Jones starring. That project was acquired for distribution by the Fox-based New Regency only last week.
Shakur and Singleton became quite friendly during the filming of 1993’s Justice, which is readily apparent in their easy camaraderie in this brief BET Rap City clip dating from June 1994 (in which — spoiler alert! — Tupac leaves Singleton in the dust in a sidewalk sprint-off). As such, it will be intriguing to see whom Singleton plans to cast in the title role of his former friend and colleague.
Details revealed of Tupac Shakur biopic
Jeff Weiss-Pop & Hiss, The L.A. Times music blog
August 27, 2010 - 1:06 pm
Unlike the title of his George Clinton collaboration, you apparently will be able to see Tupac Shakur on the silver screen, with New York Magazine's Vulture blog reporting that screenwriters have been drafted to pen a long-gestating biopic on the legendary rapper.
Indeed, the Oscar-nominated team of Stephen J. Rivele and Chris Wilkinson ("Ali," "Nixon") will team up with Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day"), with production reportedly to begin as soon as mid-November. According to to Wilkinson's interview with Vulture, the script will not be in "any way biopic-y," a stark contrast to a previous draft that took a more verite approach. Wilkinson's interview also reveals that the script will pivot on the final day of 2Pac's life in Las Vegas, with a series of flashbacks depicting his previous four years. As for casting, no one has yet been chosen to play the mercurial MC, with reports claiming that the producers and director are searching for an unknown.
Rivele informed Vulture that "he knew nothing about [Shakur]" before diving into research, but upon immersing himself in just about everything ever written about the rapper, "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."
Of course, it's pure subjectivity as to whether you accept that interpretation. Anyone well-versed in the intricacies of mid-'90s hip-hop is aware that Shakur was a protean individual who shifted between several well-defined personas. Suffice to say, one of his first rap names was MC New York, but he died repping the West Coast. And though Shakur's career dovetailed with the peak of gangsta rap, to define him as being beholden to hip-hop convention seems to underestimate the power of his personality and willful defiance.
Had he the desire, Shakur could've inevitably bucked the prevailing trends to indulge his most starry-eyed visions. By the time he was murdered, his acting career was on stable enough footing that he could have turned his back on the recording industry to write poems a la Jim Morrison in Paris. But there was a dark and glamorous appeal to the thug life and any biopic of Shakur would be well served to focus on his internal contradictions rather than external conflicts.
The interview with Rivele goes onto indicate that he believed that Shakur was in the process of breaking free from his past associations and images, an act which may have led to his downfall. Of course, it's all mere speculation. Although if you're really into over-reaching, perhaps "Tintern Abbey" and "To Live and Die in LA" aren't all that far apart.
CLICK Tupac's pic below to see all of our posts about the Tupac Biopic
For all the non-believers ... Here is photographic evidence there IS a Tupac sex tape.
TMZ broke the story ... Tupac received oral sex from a mystery woman back in 1991 ... and it was all caught on tape. The 5-minute video shows Tupac in a living room, holding a cocktail in one hand and a blunt in another.
An unreleased Tupac song is playing in the background, as the rapper sings along, wiggling his hips -- all the while getting serviced by the woman.
At one point, Money B from Digital Underground walks into frame, and Tupac puts his cocktail arm around him as the two gab away.
2Pac's Family: We Will Sue ANYONE Who Tries to Sell the Sex Tape TMZ-10/6/2011 12:50 AM PDT
2Pac's 1991 sex tape will NEVER see the light of day ... according to the rapper's family, which has now threatened to SUE anyone who attempts to distribute the footage.
TMZ spoke with a spokesperson for Pac's estate, who was VERY clear, "We will sue anyone who tries to sell a Tupac tape."
The rep insists ... only the estate has the power to authorize the use of Tupac's image for commercial use ... and there's NO WAY the sex tape will ever get the proper approval.
We're told Tupac's mother, Afeni Shakur, is aware of the tape -- and has told her spokesperson, "Get the legal team ready because [we] will not allow someone to put it out."
The rep tells us ... the estate is trying to figure out who is marketing the tape by attempting to identify the individuals who appear on film, including the leading lady, believing one of them might be the culprit.
LAPD: Detectives have exhausted leads in Notorious B.I.G. murder case
April 7, 2011 - Los Angeles Times
As the FBI released hundreds of pages of investigative documents related to the unsolved slaying of rapper Notorious B.I.G., Los Angeles police said they have no new leads in the case.
LAPD Capt. Kevin McClure, head of the department's Robbery Homicide Division, said Wednesday that the LAPD's investigation into the killing of the rapper, whose real name was Christopher Wallace, remains open, but that detectives have exhausted the leads they were pursuing.
"We have followed up on all of the leads we have at this time to the best of our ability. If anything new comes along we will certainly look at it," he said.
The FBI documents, released on the bureau's website, come from its probe into who killed the rapper, also known as Biggie Smalls, and whether any Los Angeles police officers were involved. The records include internal LAPD and FBI memos, witness statements and stakeout notes.
The New York rapper was gunned down outside the Petersen Automotive Museum in the Miracle Mile area on March 9, 1997, as he was leaving a music industry party.
The FBI's probe was closed in 2005 with few answers after investigators looked into various theories.
The FBI opened its probe after Wallace's family accused the city of covering up LAPD involvement in the rapper's slaying. The suit was dismissed last year.
The FBI was responding to unconfirmed allegations that police officers were present at the party Wallace attended before he was killed, talking on cellphones before the shooting. It was alleged by some sources that the professional nature of the slaying suggested it couldn't have been pulled off by a single gang member, but rather a larger group of people or officers.
Most of the allegations contained in the documents had been reported in news stories over the years. Because the FBI redacted the names and affiliations of many of the informants and witnesses cited in the documents, it is difficult to independently assess their credibility.
At the time of his death, Wallace was one of the biggest stars in rap music. His slaying shocked the hip-hop community, coming just months after the Las Vegas slaying of another marquee rapper, Los Angeles-based Tupac Shakur. Once friends, the rappers became rivals whose respective camps regularly traded violent barbs in song lyrics and in interviews. Shakur's slaying also remains unsolved.
Christopher Wallace
Various theories have linked the two homicides. Some believe the two men were killed as part of a rivalry between East Coast and West Coast rappers, or between their two music labels at the time, Los Angeles-based Death Row and New York-based Bad Boy Entertainment.
--Robert Faturechi
FBI file on Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace
The FBI has released hundreds of pages of records from their investigation into the 1997 slaying of rapper Notorious B.I.G. The records, which contain FBI files spanning eight years, come from a civil rights probe the bureau launched into the killing.
The Los Angleles Times posted them on its website. CLICKthe graphic below to see them
Tupac Shakur Biopic ‘All Eyez On Me’ Gets Summer Release From Lionsgate’s Summit
Anita Busch, Deadline
January 17, 2017
The Tupac Shakur biopic from Morgan Creek has been given a summer release date, opening wide on June 16, 2017. Summit Entertainment is distributing All Eyez On Me, which chronicles the rapper’s life and legacy including his rise to superstardom as a hip-hop artist and actor as well as his imprisonment and prolific, controversial time at Death Row Records, where he was steeped in the East Coast/West Coast rap war.
Directed by Benny Boom from a script by Ed Gonzalez and Jeremy Haft, the film stars Demetrius Shipp Jr. as Tupac. Danai Gurira, Kat Graham, Annie Ilonzeh, Dominic L. Santana, Jamal Woolard, Keith Robinson and Cory Hardrict co-star.
It seems to be a wide-open date for film as it will bow during a weekend that sees Sony’s release of the Scarlett Johansson-Zoë Kravitz-Kate McKinnon comedy Rock That Body and the wide bow of Disney’s animated Cars 3. All the films are targeted at different demographics.
_________________________________________________
Tupac Biopic Set for Spring 2014 Shoot
by Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter
November 12, 2013
The long-gestating project has gotten the green light from producers Morgan Creek and Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films.
The long-gestating Tupac biopic has finally set a shooting date, with producers/financiers Morgan Creek and Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films announcing plans to begin principal photography on the film next spring.
The two companies held a reception for friends and supporters of the late, great hip-hop artist at the Zanzibar in Santa Monica last Thursday where producer Randall Emmett confirmed the 2014 shoot is a go.
The Tupac film was original set to start filming back in 2011 after a lengthy legal battle between Morgan Creek and the rapper's mother, Afeni Shakur. Morgan Creek had sued Shakur, claiming she had continued to negotiate for creative control of the film after signing over rights to her son's music and story. Shakur countersued, claiming she had no deal in place with Morgan Creek. But the dispute was settled out of court and Shakur is now an executive producer on the film.
Still no word, however, on who will play the slain rapper in the film or who will direct.
Read older news on the project below
____________________________________________
Synopsis And Character Breakdowns For Antoine Fuqua's Tupac Biopic
Katey Rich
01-19-2011
CINEMABLEND.COM
I'll never really understand why the producers behind the Biggie biopic Notorious didn't just double down and produce one about Tupac Shakur at the same time, keeping all the same actors and sets and telling the parallel stories from the different points of view. Notorious was a decent-sized hit, after all, and they could have guaranteed themselves another one six months later by getting the Tupac biopic in the can while they were at it.
But nobody listens to me, of course, so now Training Day director Antoine Fuqua is moving ahead with his Shakur biopic, opening up the casting process and revealing, via Moviehole, the synopsis of the planned film and the descriptions of all the major characters. Of course, because these characters are all real people there aren't a ton of surprises-- Suge Knight is described as "an enormous, intimidating, larger-than-life man," Tupac is "extraordinarily talented"-- but Jada Pinkett shows up in there, having befriended Tupac in high school, and that at least was news to me.
Not to beat a dead horse, but Anthony Mackie played Tupac to perfection in Notorious and I'd love to see him return to the role, but he's probably a little too old at this point to pull off a teenage Shakur, and may be ready to move on to something else. Take a look at some of the character descriptions below-- head over to Moviehole for the full list-- and tell me if you can think of any actors more perfect for the part than Mackie.
“The rise and fall of TUPAC SHAKUR is chronicled, from his days attending the Baltimore School of the Arts as a teenager, to his decision to leave his mother’s dead-end life behind and embrace the Thug Life in California, to his wild success as a rapper and his dangerous war against the East Coast scene. A true poet who was waylaid by fame’s trappings, his earliest ambition was to change the world and make a difference in people’s lives, and before his tragic murder in Las Vegas in 1996, that’s exactly what 2Pac did…”
[ TUPAC SHAKUR ]
Seen from the ages of 17 to 25, an extraordinarily talented rapper, poet, musician and actor, he grows up in the Druid Hill neighborhood of Baltimore, where he attends the School of the Arts and stands out among his classmates as a force to watch. Tupac grows up without a father, and his mother — once a proud member of the Black Panthers — struggles with crack addiction. He escapes to California with virtually nothing to his name but his beloved composition book. Well-read and intense, Tupac initially sees himself as a truth-bringer, and he wants to change the world with his music and his message. As his star rises, and he finds fame throughout the entertainment industry, his priorities change, and he grows increasingly angry and paranoid. An attempt on his life and a stint in prison alter his personality further until he fully embraces the Death Row label and all it stands for. Still, before his death in 1996, Tupac’s on the verge of another resurrection — of his music and his soul. In his rapper persona he’s a thug: tough, defiant, confident, tattooed and ripped, “pure energy, frenetic, propulsive, irresistible”; but in his personal life, especially around women like Jada and Kidada, he can be pensive, thoughtful and vulnerable…
[ SUGE KNIGHT ]
Early 30s, an enormous, intimidating, larger-than-life man with a stone countenance, never seen without his jewel-encrusted Death Row medallion or his thuggish bodyguards (all of whom are members of the Bloods), he’s the CEO of Death Row Records. At times a fearsome figure, and at other times a paternal, calming presence, Suge is proud of his authentic history; he grew up in Compton and built his label with his own hands, without any help from anyone. He believes that he and Tupac are kindred spirits, and he tries to lure Tupac away from Interscope. Suge gets his chance when he bails Tupac out of prison. Their legendary contract is signed on a napkin…
[ AFENI ]
Seen from early 30's – 40's, Tupac’s mother, a strung-out wraith, emaciated by crack, she’s struggling to raise three kids on her own in the ghetto. Afeni was once a proud, dignified member of the Black Panthers. Arrested for supposedly participating in a terrorist conspiracy, she stood up to her accusers in court, eloquently refuted their claims, and won. Her legacy is something that young Tupac wishes to emulate, so her fall from grace is tough on him. After her son leaves Baltimore and becomes a star, Afeni manages to clean up her act, and by the time Tupac is facing a prison sentence of his own, Afeni is there to support him as a strong, healthy woman again…
[ MAURICE "MOPREME" SHAKUR ]
Seen from his early to late 20s, with glasses and a goatee, he is Tupac’s half-brother who grew up with Tupac in Baltimore and eventually moves out to Oakland, California, to live with Tupac. A performer in his own right, Mopreme was the first to enter “the game” of music and he believes in creating a persona that’s separate from one’s real life. After Tupac gets shot, Mopreme tries to raise bail, and he’s concerned when Suge steps in; he doesn’t trust Suge and he’s also troubled by Tupac’s East Coast/West Coast war. The brothers’ once-close relationship is shattered when Suge turns the two young men against one another…
Updates On Antoine Fuqua’s Tupac Biopic…
By Tambay, on February 11th, 2011
Shadow & Act
Looks like this ship is moving full-speed ahead…
We already know Antoine Fuqua is working on a Tupac biopic. We also know that he would like to cast unknowns in several of the starring roles (Tupac, Marion “Suge” Knight, Jada Pinkett and Kidada Jones – both women reportedly will feature very prominently in the film; both women dated Tupac early in his career).
Fuqua said he was prepared to “go to the streets” to find his stars.
Morgan Creek Productions announced today that principal photography is scheduled to begin in late Spring/early Summer on Antoine Fuqua’s long-in-gestation biopic, to be titled, simply, Tupac.
The film will be shot on location in Los Angeles, New York, Georgia and Las Vegas and is currently being cast.
“I am confident that Morgan Creek will stay true to the common goal we share of depicting Tupac’s life in a way that will allow the world to see the authenticity of his artistry, his hopes, and his life goals,“ said Afeni Shakur-Davis. She will also serve as executive producer on the project.
The screenplay was written by Steve Bagatourian (American Gun), Stephen J. Rivele (Ali, Nixon) & Christopher Wilkinson (Ali, Nixon). Universal Pictures will distribute.
The official synopsis for the highly-anticipated film reads, “The rise and fall of Tupac Shakur is chronicled, from his days attending the Baltimore School of the Arts as a teenager, to his decision to leave his mother’s dead-end life behind and embrace the Thug Life in California, to his wild success as a rapper and his dangerous war against the East Coast scene.”
We should know who are actors are very soon, so stay tuned… _________________________________________________________
Online Casting Contest In The Works To Find Tupac Lead
By Cynthia, on February 14th, 2011
Shadow & Act
Looks like the casting process for new Tupac biopic being helmed by Antoine Fuqua and backed by Tupac’s mother, Afeni Shakar, will get a little more interesting in a few weeks.
If you have some great acting chops and can spit a rhyme, you may have a chance to play the slain rapper in the film.
Morgan Creek Productions/Universal Pictures, Fuqua and Skee.tv have joined forces to create an online casting contest in an effort to find the right person to play Tupac.
Up-and-coming black actors will get a chance to upload their video and fans will get to vote on their favorite. This casting campaign will kick off later this month.
Now obviously, this is a great way to garner some publicity for the upcoming project and keep the anticipation, for the film and the winner of the contest, at a fever pitch.
So this might be the perfect time to call that cousin of yours–who swears he’s the reincarnated Tupac–and tell him to step up to the plate and put his talents to the test!
Some of the great info above from the great website Shadow & Act
Cool Black’s Mad Commentary: I totally agree with Fuqua casting unknowns in this movie. There are SO MANY talented actors out here and most studios are only looking for “a name”. Frankly the best thing about the Biggie movie (Notorious (2009) Read my review here ) was the unknown star Jamal Woolard. The biggest “name” in the film Angela Bassett wasn’t even all that great.
So far so good on the direction of this picture.
UPDATE:MARCH 2013
Antoine Fuqua: 'Tupac Biopic Is Still On Track'.Read it here
Don't get it twisted this is Jada Pinkett's episode of A Different World and Tupac Shakur is a "Guest Star".
It's still a really good episode and does a good job at dealing with "black guilt" over leaving your friends behind to move forward and go to college. The whole episode, produced in 1993, but never aired in that regular season, is presented below in two parts.
Domestic Total as of Feb. 15, 2009: $36,612,000 (Estimate)
Production Budget: $20 million
After a month in theaters, Notorious only has a profit of about $16 million (domestically), which is great for you or me, or any company in America in this economy, but not for a Hollywood studio. Hollywood studios like to make at least $30-$50 million profits on a picture +$100 million even better. The foreign gross is only $156,000 and it probably won't go far beyond that.
The DVD release is estimated for May 2009 and it probably won't make much there either because those who want it on DVD already have it and or will have a bootleg of the official version. Sad to say that's how many people buy their movies.
The so-so box office of Notorious probably won’t stop future hip-hop bio pics, but it may give studios pause before green lighting the next one.
Previous Notorious blog entries:
A report about the opening weekend box office gross here
Review of the film here
More about the film here
For years it has been contended that African American artist Chuck Berry is the true king of Rock & Roll. He and the likes of Little Richard, who has been recently administered the title of the lesser “Architect of Rock & Roll”, started the genre that made Elvis famous and more popular than either ever was. The same can be said for Eminem. Rap was here long before Eminem, yet he’s seen by many as “the best rapper ever”, “King of Rap” etc. I’m not saying that Em doesn’t have the skills and shouldn't be praised; bottom line is that he is damn good at what he does, but the best ever? Only time can reveal that.
Many of his detractors though, see his success as yet another example of white America's refusal to embrace African-American culture unless it puts on a white face. That would be true if many of the white kids who buy Eminem's CDs have also been strong supporters of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, DMX, etc. before Em even came on the scene. It has also been long known that 60-70% of record buyers are these same white kids. I also think Eminem is also just plain ole playing the “Madonna card”. By that I mean a strategy superbly deployed by music artist Madonna, be raunchy, be raw, be controversial, sell records. It works!
I have read where people said that they don’t even like rap music or Eminem, but went to see his movie 8 Mile because of all the hype. (To date the movie has made 116 million worldwide. Not to mention it set an all-time one week sales record for an "R" rated DVD, generating consumer spending of $75 million in purchases and rental.)
In a MTV interview Raymond Scott-co-founder of The Source magazine who is also a rapper under the name of Benzino took many verbal assaults against Eminem. Benzino, whose album sales are no way equal to Eminem’s, may seem like he is playing for attention by picking on the biggest name in rap. He explained it however as, "I had a problem with 'the machine,' with the double standard in hip-hop," "Certain media outlets take to him and look at him as the savior in hip-hop and the #1 in hip-hop and [do] not recognize the guys out here that created hip hop. ... Eminem is just the hood ornament for the machine. ... You think I could grab my crotch and put my ass in people's faces the way he does? No way. But as long as the color of his skin and his eyes fits what America wants, ... it's all right."
And to a certain extent I agree. Tupac [Shakur] was just as adversarial and licentious as Eminem, but scared the majority of America. While they were afraid of Tupac and what he represented they would and did embrace Eminem. Eminem talks about "white boy stuff" acts of self contusion like cutting your wrist, getting high on prescription pills-that kind of stuff, the kind of stuff white America can identify with. The stuff that happens in thier culture. They can't identify with the "street reporting" that goes along with gangsta rap. KRS-ONE (the teacher) said that white rap fans like to listen to rap because it lets them live vicariously through what the rapper is saying without EVER having to live that life that rapper has led. This is true because I do it.
I'm not as "gangsta" as say a 50 Cent or DMX, probably oppositely so, I live vicariously through what they are saying. It’s like reading a book or watching a movie and identifying with a character even though you never been in that situation.
In the end, majority rules. If the majority can identify with it, great!, they will recognize you. If not, you will surely be ingnored.
Release Date: January 16, 2009