Tupac Shakur Biopic to be directed by Antoine Fuqua

[bullets]

Tupac & Kurt Cobain are two artists, had they not died at their peak. Would be not considered so highly. Tupac was good, but really nothing special, or original for that time.



You could say the same thing about Heath Ledger as a actor .

Nope.

 

[blksuperman2]

I was a fan of 2Pac's from day 1. I named my first son Bishop because I thought that was the coolest name in "Juice". I can't really understand how anyone can say he was just an O.K. rapper. I'll definitely be seeing this. I really hope they delve into his persona because he was really just playing a role.

 

[louiebling$]

Is Anthony Hopkins a serial killer because he portrayed one in the films? Or Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, or Robert DeNiro gangsters? What about all the country singers who sing about being outlaws or rockers who used demonic references, etc, are they actually doing the things they are singing about?

To be fair, many rappers, since the late 80s/early 90s and the predominance of the gangsta strain of rap have put a premium on 'keeping it real' and either having a real hardcore background or participating in stuff even while making records, that's still not the total reality for many of the gangsta rappers today (ex. Rick Ross). So, why should rappers be held to a standard other entertainers are not?

That's not to say that I don't have problems with the imagery and language with a lot of gangsta rap today, not to mention the quality, I'm more old school hip hop (including old school gangsta).

Tupac wasn't a thug. He was a brilliant, conflicted, and complex individual, whose music to me spoke of the duality between the light and the dark that grips all of us in some form or fashion. Unfortunately, the pendulum swung too far to the dark for him and his life ended before it could swing back. Listen to "Dear Mama", "Keep Your Head Up", "Brenda's Got a Baby", "Changes", "My Block", "Unconditional Love", "I Ain't Mad at 'Cha" or "It Ain't Easy" for example and see if Tupac was a 'thug'. In many ways he represented all of the promise and frustrations of young black men of my generation, the post-Civil Rights generation, and to some extent Generation X entire in a way similar to Kurt Cobain. And that's why Tupac left behind an amazing legacy and is still admired and referenced by many of his peers over a decade after his death.

As for the film Notorious, I thought Anthony Mackie sucked as Tupac. He was jumping around too much, smiling, laughing or giggling too much for my taste. He didn't convey any gravitas. He couldn't really get Tupac's presence or his charisma.

I think Fuqua could do a good job with a Tupac film. But finding the right person to play him is critical. I think the Notorious filmmakers got a good find with Jamal Woolard (If I remembered his name correctly). Plus, Naturi Naughton was smoking as Lil'Kim, and the actress who played Faith was hot too.

Thank you *claps* damn good post

Another one of those movies where they make the gangster the good guy with a heart of gold who pretended to be a bad boy because it was what was expected of him. Pa-lease, why do people do this?. He was a thug, plain & simple. If he was such a good bloke he could have chose another medium to sing in, like Pop, Country, Romance. Makes me laugh that people glorify violence by pretending that rappers are just miss understood. I'll be passing on this one.


Steve

you have no ****ing clue what your talking about

 

[TNC9852002]

This was inevitable...

I'll be keeping tabs on this one...

 

[S.A.A.D.]

This is definitely not going to make much money at the box office,despite the yo guy,it's a movie about Tupac crowd.

 

[louiebling$]

This is definitely not going to make much money at the box office,despite the yo guy,it's a movie about Tupac crowd.

The Yo Guy?



Are u serious? Have you even read about his life? He is much much more than just a "Thug Gangsta" Rapper

 

[Figs]

The Yo Guy?



Are u serious? Have you even read about his life? He is much much more than just a "Thug Gangsta" Rapper

Just curious as to what he did that made him more than that? I'm just wondering because I don't know much about him.

 

[Dr. Evil]

One thing is for certain: the movie will likely have a kick ass soundtrack.

 

[Dr. Evil]

Just curious as to what he did that made him more than that? I'm just wondering because I don't know much about him.

About Tupac:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tupac_Shakur

 

[louiebling$]

Just curious as to what he did that made him more than that? I'm just wondering because I don't know much about him.

I suggest Renting/Netflixing Tupac: Resurrection its a GREAT and Powerfull Documentry about his life and his strugglest through life that lead to his success and sadly his death.

 

[louiebling$]

Hopefully dre and Em Co Produce

 

[Dr. Evil]

Hopefully dre and Em Co Produce

Didn't Pac have a falling out with Dre near the end of his life?

It's interesting that he was friends with Jada Pinkett right around the time that she began dating Will Smith. I would assume that since Jada and Tupac were good friends, that she introduced Pac to Will. Don't know that for sure though.

 

[louiebling$]

Didn't Pac have a falling out with Dre near the end of his life?

It's interesting that he was friends with Jada Pinkett right around the time that she began dating Will Smith. I would assume that since Jada and Tupac were good friends, that she introduced Pac to Will. Don't know that for sure though.

Na from what I can remember it was a Small agruement that was cuase by people plying telephone with words I think the beef was squashed before he died cuz I'm pretty sure Dre visited him at the hospital before his death....


And I remember reading something somewhere where Will talked about meeting him through Jada and he told him that remember seeing him at an Awards show but was afraid to go up to him cuz he was a thug(that was a joke he made to him) he sid he made Pac laugh.

Jada was also at the Hospital with Afeni a lot.

 

[venom892]

This could just be me but the way Tupac talked about Jada I always got the vibe he was really in love with her.

 

[Dr. Evil]

Na from what I can remember it was a Small agruement that was cuase by people plying telephone with words I think the beef was squashed before he died cuz I'm pretty sure Dre visited him at the hospital before his death....


And I remember reading something somewhere where Will talked about meeting him through Jada and he told him that remember seeing him at an Awards show but was afraid to go up to him cuz he was a thug(that was a joke he made to him) he sid he made Pac laugh.

Jada was also at the Hospital with Afeni a lot.

I also recall Jada saying that her and Pac would sing the theme from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air together.

Oh and my pick for Tupac is Romany Malco as I have said when I made this thread.

 

[S.A.A.D.]

The Yo Guy?



Are u serious? Have you even read about his life? He is much much more than just a "Thug Gangsta" Rapper

Yeah,but in all seriousness,I'm not going to actually read about a guy that I'm not a fan of at all. It's bad enough imo that I even know what I know about him. A criminal who made unappealing music,and who sold one too many records,a person who was most likely involved with the wrong kinds of people. I don't respect over privileged people like that. And I don't care how talented he apparently was.

 

[louiebling$]

Yeah,but in all seriousness,I'm not going to actually read about a guy that I'm not a fan of at all. It's bad enough imo that I even know what I know about him. A criminal who made unappealing music,and who sold one too many records,a person who was most likely involved with the wrong kinds of people. I don't respect over privileged people like that. And I don't care how talented he apparently was.

Then why come in a thread about a guy you say don't like and say o this is about a guy I don't like so its gonna bomb


No offense but do you realize how ignorant that sounds?

And instead of focusing in what the Thug character of 2pac and read up bout the poet Tupac Shakur

 

[MAN O STEEL]

I suggest Renting/Netflixing Tupac: Resurrection its a GREAT and Powerfull Documentry about his life and his strugglest through life that lead to his success and sadly his death.

You mean a documentary that, much like a movie is going to make him out to be something he's not?. That's going to lie to make him look better than he was?. Anyone can make a documentary about a punk, pay some people to say he gave money to under privileged handicaped kids & present him as a good guy who just had it rough. When he was alive all he generated was violence & negativity, therefor he should be remembered as such. I was brought up around drug addicts & bikers, I didn't start acting like them because it's what was expected of me, I was man enough to do my own thing, to stay away from drugs & violence. If in fact Pac was a good guy who acted the thug to sell some records then it proves he's nothing more than an uncle tom, fake ass wannabe, tricking people into believing his lies. Sounds weak to me. I've also said all I need to say, I won't be wasting anymore time on a punk.





Steve

 

[Project862006]

then why are you here

bye

 

[louiebling$]

goodbye... you have no idea what your talking about why don't you actually do some factual research on the guy instead of basing your opinion on what the media glorified.

 

[Ghostvirus]

Maybe they will atleast explain what the hell the point to Poetic Justice.

 

[blksuperman2]

Lol, John Singleton was the sinlge, biggest, most hyped failure of the '90s. He was the M.Night of his day.

 

[DarKush]

I don't think Singleton was a failure. He has been fairly successful, though he might not have reached the critical heights of Boyz N the Hood again.

After Boyz, Singleton continued making socially conscious films: Poetic Justice, which dealt with the victims or the loved ones left behind due to violence, Higher Learning's mix of race, class, and sex issues, Rosewood's brutal recounting of a racial pogrom in this country that many folks don't want to remember, and Baby Boy which dealt with fatherhood, relationships, and personal responsibility and accountability, so he expanded on some of the issues he addressed in Boyz, though with admittedly diminishing returns box office wise. Though to be fair, I think the subject matter of the films limited their appeal. Singleton was going places a lot of people didn't want to go.

His mainstream films, Shaft (2000), Fast and the Furious 2, and Four Brothers, I thought at least they made decent box office.

Now, a guy like Matty Rich didn't live up to the hype. But I think some of the other talented black male directors of that period-early 90s: Mario Van Peebles (sp), John Singleton, the Hudlins, the Hughes, I think they've turned out all right. In fact, of that list, Singleton and the Hughes brothers probably have been the most successful.

 

[xmangambit]

I haven't seen Notorious, how did they portray the whole situation between Biggie and Pac?

Was a mockery mate, and the guy who played Pac failed.

The actual Biggie part of the film was good, but the 2 minute scene which featured Pac was not worth it, I was never a biggie fan but was looking forward to seeing it for Pac and highly dissapointed, I just hope they dont do the same here.

It seems the feud has been carried over to film and the same thing might happen with this film.

 

[Zacky]

Mid-way through 2010 it was announced that “Training Day” director Antoine Fuqua had anointed himself the captain of a biopic about slain rapper Tupac Shakur.The plan was to shoot in September. Meantime, Fuqua said he’d be opening his door to anyone that thinks they can do a good “Outlaw, Outlaw, Outlaw (They came in to sin)..Outlaw, Outlaw, Outlaw (Dear God, I wonder could you save me?)”

“I want to discover someone new. I want to discover a lot of new people if I can. Obviously I’m going to have to put some people in it that you know, just because actors have different skills. I want to go to the streets and find him anywhere he might be in the world.”

Today we’ve an update on the film, which is set up over at Morgan Creek. Seems the film is gearing up for an April start in Los Angeles.

The official synopsis : “The rise and fall of TUPAC SHAKUR is chronicled, from his days attending the Baltimore School of the Arts as a teenager, to his decision to leave his mother’s dead-end life behind and embrace the Thug Life in California, to his wild success as a rapper and his dangerous war against the East Coast scene. A true poet who was waylaid by fame’s trappings, his earliest ambition was to change the world and make a difference in people’s lives, and before his tragic murder in Las Vegas in 1996, that’s exactly what 2Pac did…”


Most interestingly, we’ve been supplied with the character breakdowns for the film :


[ TUPAC SHAKUR ]
Seen from the ages of 17 to 25, an extraordinarily talented rapper, poet, musician and actor, he grows up in the Druid Hill neighborhood of Baltimore, where he attends the School of the Arts and stands out among his classmates as a force to watch. Tupac grows up without a father, and his mother — once a proud member of the Black Panthers — struggles with crack addiction. He escapes to California with virtually nothing to his name but his beloved composition book. Well-read and intense, Tupac initially sees himself as a truth-bringer, and he wants to change the world with his music and his message. As his star rises, and he finds fame throughout the entertainment industry, his priorities change, and he grows increasingly angry and paranoid. An attempt on his life and a stint in prison alter his personality further until he fully embraces the Death Row label and all it stands for. Still, before his death in 1996, Tupac’s on the verge of another resurrection — of his music and his soul. In his rapper persona he’s a thug: tough, defiant, confident, tattooed and ripped, “pure energy, frenetic, propulsive, irresistible”; but in his personal life, especially around women like Jada and Kidada, he can be pensive, thoughtful and vulnerable…


[ SUGE KNIGHT ]
Early 30s, an enormous, intimidating, larger-than-life man with a stone countenance, never seen without his jewel-encrusted Death Row medallion or his thuggish bodyguards (all of whom are members of the Bloods), he’s the CEO of Death Row Records. At times a fearsome figure, and at other times a paternal, calming presence, Suge is proud of his authentic history; he grew up in Compton and built his label with his own hands, without any help from anyone. He believes that he and Tupac are kindred spirits, and he tries to lure Tupac away from Interscope. Suge gets his chance when he bails Tupac out of prison. Their legendary contract is signed on a napkin…


[ AFENI ]
Seen from early 30′s – 40′s, Tupac’s mother, a strung-out wraith, emaciated by crack, she’s struggling to raise three kids on her own in the ghetto. Afeni was once a proud, dignified member of the Black Panthers. Arrested for supposedly participating in a terrorist conspiracy, she stood up to her accusers in court, eloquently refuted their claims, and won. Her legacy is something that young Tupac wishes to emulate, so her fall from grace is tough on him. After her son leaves Baltimore and becomes a star, Afeni manages to clean up her act, and by the time Tupac is facing a prison sentence of his own, Afeni is there to support him as a strong, healthy woman again…


[ MAURICE "MOPREME" SHAKUR ]
Seen from his early to late 20s, with glasses and a goatee, he is Tupac’s half-brother who grew up with Tupac in Baltimore and eventually moves out to Oakland, California, to live with Tupac. A performer in his own right, Mopreme was the first to enter “the game” of music and he believes in creating a persona that’s separate from one’s real life. After Tupac gets shot, Mopreme tries to raise bail, and he’s concerned when Suge steps in; he doesn’t trust Suge and he’s also troubled by Tupac’s East Coast/West Coast war. The brothers’ once-close relationship is shattered when Suge turns the two young men against one another…


[ KIDADA JONES ]
Early 20s, a gorgeous, sultry, intelligent and loving young woman of mixed race, she is Quincy Jones’ daughter who meets Tupac after he insults her family. His attempt to apologize leaves her both infuriated and charmed. Their animosity and sparks later turn into love, and she accompanies him on his fateful trip to Vegas, though she doesn’t like boxing and would prefer to relax by the pool. Loving, kind, and supportive, she’s stunned by but happy about Tupac’s marriage proposal, and she urges him to meet with her father to discuss his future as an artist…


[ JADA PINKETT ]
Long before she met and married Will Smith, Jada Pinkett was a classmate of Tupac’s at the Baltimore School of the Arts. A regal, stunning young woman (seen from the ages of 17 to early 20s), she puts Tupac in his place for altering some of Hamlet’s lines in a school production. She encourages and supports his poetry, and tells him he was put on earth to change things. Their important friendship continues throughout Tupac’s rise and fall; she visits him in prison and later urges him to apologize to Quincy Jones and his family for offensive remarks he made. She’s concerned that Tupac has changed too much from the boy she used to know…


In an interview with Vulture in August, co-writer Stephen J. Rivele said, “I knew nothing about [Shakur, but upon research] 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 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.”

Tupac Shakur, of course, was a popular rapper musician (he appeared in such films as “Gridlock’d” and “Poetic Justice”) who was shot to death in September of ’96 in Las Vegas.

http://www.moviehole.net/201135871-exclusive-casting-synopsis-for-tupac-shakur-project