Five years after the long-awaited biopic of iconic rapper/actor Tupac Shakur, All Eyez On Me, was placed on the production fast track, trailers have finally emerged as the film prepares for release.
Originally titled, Tupac, All Eyez on Me, will focus on the career of Tupac Shakur all the way to the fatal drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in 1996. Benny Boom (Next Day Air) will direct and the film stars Demetrius Shipp, Jr. as Tupac and co-stars Danai Gurira, Lauren Cohan, Jamie Hector and Annie Ilonzeh.
The film has been in development as early as 2011 and has gone through two previous directors (John Singleton and Carl Franklin), battles over creative control between Shakur’s mother, Afeni Shakur and the production company, Morgan Creek and the latest battle over the music used in the film with former friend and rapper Daz Dillinger.
According to TMZ, Dillinger has taken issue with his song ‘Ambitionz Az A Ridah’ being used throughout the film. The track can be heard in the official trailer, which premiered in June 2016, but Dillinger claims to own the rights to the song and producers allegedly do not have permission to use. Publishing house BMG are said to have control of green lighting use of the track and the project will be put on hold so the company and Dillinger can resolve the issue.
While there are so many people who want to honor Pac’s legacy, Boom’s track record doesn’t instill tons of confidence that he can be successful where so many other more established filmmakers couldn’t find common ground with Morgan Creek to move forward with this important story.
In addition, the popularity of last year’s NWA biopic, Straight Outta Compton and the recent announcement of the upcoming crime thriller, Labyrinth, starring Johnny Depp as Russell Poole, the Los Angeles police detective who investigated the murders of rappers Notorious B.I.G. and Shakur.
All Eyez On Me was expected for release in September 2016 to coincide with the 20th anniversary of Pac’s death but a report now claims it will not hit cinemas until November.
The wait continues . . .
Check out the trailer and the teaser embedded below: