Its often amazing how a premature death has the habit of deifying artists. So many composers, painters and actors have accrued almost mythical status in the face of a young and tragic demise. So it was with
Tupac Shakur, widely considered among the very best hip-hop artists of his generation, whose tempestuous life was ended by a barrage of gunshots in September 1996. Now, following on from the biopic of his rival- and, fleetingly, suspect in his murder- Biggie Smalls, Notorious - Tupac is to have his own story told on the big screen
according to Deadline (via
The Playlist). According to the studio Morgan Creek Productions, principle photography has been tentatively scheduled to begin late spring and early summer with director
Antoine Fuqua- most renowned for the excellent Training Day- at the helm. Casting is underway with Fuqua believed to be looking at an unknown to lead. This announcement is said to have met with approval from Shakurs mother, Afeni Shakur-Davis, whose membership of the Black Panthers, along with the rappers father, Billy Garland, is said to have shaped the socially and politically aware content of much of his early work. What will be most interesting is whether the film is ultimately a hagiography- papering over Shakurs many prominent demons- or whether they tackle the intricacies of iconic artists character and career. The rivalry of the East and West coast gangs is almost sure to play the part in the narrative as is his relationship with Biggie Smalls, though it remains to be seen the extent to which the film-makers will tackle the role of Shakur in a number of gang fuelled beatings and, most notoriously, his conviction for being part of a vicious gang rape for which he served time in gaol in spite of numerous expensive appeals. The logline for the film reads that the biopic will follow;
the life and legacy of Tupac Shakur, 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, last year it was revealed that the script would follow Tupac on his final days while flashing back to the final four years of his life.
Screenwriter
Stephen J. Rivele said last summer;
not in any way biopic-y... I knew nothing about it became clear that he was essentially a 19th century Romantic poet who found himself in the 21st century He was just beginning to shed that anger and look for a purer voiceHe was in the process of changing himself, and entering a new phase of his life essentially a Romantic vision and had set up a new label, and a new production company to create it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWbXQQG9B6c Notorious- directed by George Tillman Jr- was subject to mixed reviews by both critics and audiences but was, overall, broadly regarded as generic and underwhelming. Shakur on the other hand, was far more compelling and complex in life and in depth, as well as having had a lasting legacy on hip-hop; and although, as Chris Rock observed, school will be open on his birthday, he is likely to be an icon who will endure.