Steve McQueen (12 Years A Slave, Shame) has signed on to direct a documentary profiling the life of legendary rapper Tupac Shakur.
He has signed a deal with the Shakur estate and Amaru Entertainment, the company set up by Shakur’s recently deceased mother Afeni Shakur, to chronicle the life of the man who was recently the first solo hip hop artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
McQueen said in a statement:
“I am extremely moved and excited to be exploring the life and times of this legendary artist. I attended NYU film school in 1993 and can remember the unfolding hip-hop world and mine overlapping with Tupac’s through a mutual friend in a small way. Few, if any shined brighter than Tupac Shakur. I look forward to working closely with his family to tell the unvarnished story of this talented man”.
Although Tupac’s professional career only lasted a meagre five years, he’s one of the most influential and beloved recording artists of all time, having sold over 75 million records worldwide. He was fatally shot in 1996.
Jayson Jackson (What Happened, Miss Simone?) will produce the film alongside Nigel Sinclair (The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years) and Nicholas Ferrall (All Things Must Pass). Gloria Cox, Shakur’s aunt and Afeni’s only sister, will also executive produce. She added:
“It has been a long journey to get here. I feel like we have a team she (Afeni) would be very pleased with. It has never been our intention to rewrite the story of Tupac. Our goal has always been to tell the true story, which has never been done before in such a complete way.
My sister always said to me, ‘We are not in the business of defending Tupac. Our job is to allow him to be seen in the most complete way, so his actions, his choices, and his words will allow him to speak for himself’. I believe this film will do exactly that”.
Considering McQueen’s immense talent, and the exceptionally high quality of documentaries in the last few years, this is very exciting and has the chance to be the ultimate epitaph to Tupac’s life.
#Peace.Love.Tupac
