Tupac Biopic Reborn as John Singleton Agrees to Direct

You know all those wild conspiracy theories that Tupac Shakur is loungin' on an island somewhere, dropping posthumous LPs of "previously unreleased material" and makin' mad loot? It's all ridiculous, of course, but a biopic on the life of Tupac was beginning to look like just as much of a pipe dream. Antoine Fuqua had been circling the project for awhile, even signing a pay-for-play deal at one point, before formally dropping out when it was impossible to find an actor to play the charismatic rapper. Three years ago John Singleton entered his name into the mix, and now it looks like he'll be the one to bring Tupac's story to the big screen.

According to Variety, Singleton has agreed to direct the untitled Tupac biopic, producing and rewriting the screenplay which will follow Tupac Shakur's rise in the combative hip-hop game in the '90s, using a combination of gangsta rap and politically-charged lyrics to become one of the most popular rappers ever. The story will presumably lead all the way up to his murder in 1996, and will probably include his on again/off again beef with Notorious B.I.G.

Tupac starred in one of Singleton's most highly-regarded films, Poetic Justice, and the director planned on working with him many times in the future....

Singleton: “Tupac was the guy who I planned to do a lifetime of films with. His passing deeply affected my life as well as countless people in this world. His life story is as important to my generation.”

Now comes the difficult task of finding someone to embody Tupac on screen. Anthony Mackie couldn't quite pull it off in the B.I.G. biopic, Notorious, and I wouldn't be surprised if Singleton looks to a new face for the role.

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John Singleton won't direct the Tupac biopic

At this point, maybe a movie should be made about the attempt to make a movie about slain rapper, Tupac Shakur? The film has been on ice forever, it seems, first with Antoine Fuqua(Training Day) long attached to helm, beginning a failed national talent search to find a star, and then drop out so he could take on the film featuring a totally different rapper. That would be Southpaw, the boxing flick which has Eminem in the lead, and is also on the shelf now, I might add. Fuqua finally just said to hell with you rap bastards and moved on to directing Hunter Killer.

Along came John Singleton, who had just seen himself passed up to direct the N.W.A. biopic. It seemed like a natural fit. Singleton knew Tupac personally, having directed him in Poetic Justice in one of the rapper's best performances. Well, it's back to the drawing board now, with Showblitz reporting that Singleton has dropped out of negotiations. Whomp whomp.

So now what? With no director and no star, all they have is a script. Shit, I got scripts. Doesn't mean a movie's getting made out of them.Officially at step zero right now, I'm starting to think this is going to be one of those great idea flicks that just never gets made. Part of the reason is that it'll be damn near impossible to find somebody to play the charismatic, volatile rapper. I keep hearing people cry for Anthony Mackie to do it, but those who saw him play the part in Notorious would know he ain't the guy. 

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Ice Cube's N.W.A. biopic moving forward...without John Singleton

John Singleton's head must be spinning. It was only a few days ago that the Higher Learning director was openly discussing his ongoing talks to join Ice Cube in his production of a biopic on legendary rap crew, N.W.A. And now? Well, now he's apparently out of the picture.

Vulture has the news, stating that three names have entered the picture to direct the film, now titled Straight Outta Compton: Peter Berg, F. Gary Gray, and Craig Brewer. All three have the cred to make a legitimate claim for the job, but then again so did Singleton. Brewer's past films, Hustle & Flow and Black Snake Moan in particular, I think make him the ideal choice. All you have to do is think back to the phenomenon Hustle and Flow was back in 2005, with the soundtrack earning an Academy Award for Three Six Mafia. Remember the shocked faces of all those cinema stiffs as they performed "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" on stage? Awesome.

F. Gary Gray has worked with Ice Cube in the past, notably on 1995's urban comedy hit, Friday. But also as a music video director, so he could no doubt work with the hip hop heavy flick.

Peter Berg? Kinda out of left field, but all of his movies do pack amazing scores, especially Friday Night Lights. He might be the most high profile filmmaker of the bunch, though, and could woo audiences with his name alone. 

Singleton had previously stated that New Line was really into getting this movie made, and this news seems to back that up. But it's by no means guaranteed, and a big director may be the final touch that kicks things into high gear.

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John Singleton to Direct Taylor Lautner's Next Flick, ABDUCTION

I'm not gonna lie, I'm kinda diggin' Taylor Lautner's non-Twilight stuff. Sure Valetine's Day was awful, but he wasn't all that bad in it, and it got him facetime alongside a number of A-listers; Cancun sounds like a cross between The Ruins and Turistas, and Stretch Armstrong might suck but has franchise potential at least. The muscled out Twilight star recently signed on to star in the thriller, Abduction, described by some as a Jason Bourne-style flick about young man who discovers his own baby picture on a website for missing persons. The only question was who would helm the project.

John Singleton(Boyz in the Hood, Higher Learning) has reportedly signed on to direct the film, based on a script by Shawn Christensen. Singleton's last film was the 2005 hit, Four Brothers, starring Mark Wahlberg and Tyrese Gibson. I'm no fan of Singleton as a director, but he's definitely better with action than anything else, so maybe he'll manage to not screw this one up.

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