New Tupac Shakur Biopic Will Answer Why He Was Killed, If Not By Whom

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Oscar-nominated screenwriters Stephen J. Rivele and Chris Wilkinson (Ali, Nixon) have just been hired to write the Tupac Shakur biopic, which means the Antoine Fuqua-directed film could begin shooting by mid-November. (No cast yet; Fuqua is looking for an unknown to play the late rapper.) While the writing partners are known for adapting true lives and stories — they also worked on the Moneyball script, and an upcoming Jackie Robinson story — Wilkinson tells Vulture that the key to this script is an approach that “is not in any way biopic-y.”

That’s a big change in direction for the project. An initial draft written by Steven Bagatourian (2005's American Gun) was largely documentary in style, simply laying out the facts of the slain rapper-poet-actor's brief 25-year life. But Wilkinson says that their script will center on the last day of Tupac's life, flashing back to show the final four years leading up to it.

Rivele admits that "I 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." To
the best of our knowledge, neither John Keats nor Samuel Coleridge did prison time for sex abuse or shot an off-duty cop in the buttocks, so we asked Rivele to clarify. "This is the story of an artist whose
character is at odds with his medium," explains Rivele, "He was 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."

Having been killed in a 1996 Las Vegas drive-by shooting, Shakur's
murder remains unsolved. But Rivele says their goal is not to show who killed Shakur, but rather why anyone would want to. "He was obviously very angry, and had been subjected to a great deal of violence at home, in the streets and in prison," says Rivele, "But he was just beginning to shed that anger and look for a purer voice...He 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. He saw the contradiction between the musicalpersona of 'Thug Life,' and his essential nature as a gentle, sensitive person. And that was partly responsible for his murder: He was not a gangster, but the people around him were. They saw he was going to leave, that they were going to lose him, and so I think they decided to kill him."

[RoscoeOutlaw]

sounds interesting!

[wardy]

Is this film being endorsed by Afeni Shakur? If it is i will be looking forward to watching this as one thing with her on board there will be no bullshit rubbish in there as she won't allow it.

[DJ ACE CAPONE]

How many of thee movies do I have to sit through? How much will they milk of of this guys name?

[MarshColin]

Wow they got some guy that knows nothing about 2pac to make this movie and before it even comes out he is saying he thinks Suge & Death Row had Pac killed which we all know is bullshit. 2Pac got caught up in a gang feud. End of story.

[Stashh]

pac was gang related they should stop the bs

[Davizz]

Sounds interesting, Afeni betta stay out of this.

[V2DHeart]

Stallones movie about the murders would have been one I'd have been interested in. You know he wouldn't put out a load of rubbish

[KURUPTION-81]

Sounds interesting the way they are going to do it but not sure about the whole suge killed him angle !

[papa-smurf]

this gonna be bullshit.pac got killed by the dude they jumped in the motel.just by the guy going off opion and not facts tell me laready that the film gonna be bullshit.

[Unforgivable by Sean John]

And that was partly responsible for his murder: He was not a gangster, but the people around him were. They saw he was going to leave, that they were going to lose him, and so I think they decided to kill him."

That just doesn't sound plausible. I think what's much more likely is that 2Pac had BEEF with gang members, and they killed him over BEEF, not over him wanting to leave behind a thuggish lifestyle.

[Jimmy H.]

Is this film being endorsed by Afeni Shakur? If it is i will be looking forward to watching this as one thing with her on board there will be no bullshit rubbish in there as she won't allow it.

It would most likekly have to be. Shakur's Estate is very gung-ho about not allowing unauthorized projects to come out and if they are making a movie about his life, they would need that blessing.

I'm on the fence about a biopic. If done right, it could be interesting but I really don't need another "Notorious". I think "Resurrection" was the best possible and most creative outlet in terms of telling Tupac's story.

[V2DHeart]

There's no way this is coming out. Amaru can't even get organised for Live 2 Tell

[you gon always be my latin queen bitch]

Lol @ they decided 2 kill him

[dexter]

And that was partly responsible for his murder: He was not a gangster, but the people around him were. They saw he was going to leave, that they were going to lose him, and so I think they decided to kill him."

That just doesn't sound plausible. I think what's much more likely is that 2Pac had BEEF with gang members, and they killed him over BEEF, not over him wanting to leave behind a thuggish lifestyle.

Pac got killed because he was Second Rate