Steve McQueen, director of the Oscar-winning film 12 Years A Slave, will reportedly direct slain rapper Tupac Shakur’s documentary. According to a Rolling Stones report, the film will be co-produced by Amaru Entertainment, the company Tupac’s late mother Afeni established to release her son’s posthumous projects, Shakur Estate trustee Tom Whalley, and music documentary makers, Jayson Jackson and White Horse Pictures’ Nigel Sinclair.
Speaking to the magazine, McQueen said, “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.”
The Tupac documentary marks McQueen’s second project since releasing 12 Years a Slave in 2013. The film won Best Picture at the Oscars while McQueen had a nomination for Best Director. His next film, Windows, is scheduled to release next year.
Shot by unknown gunmen on 7 September, 1997 in Las Vegas, Tupac succumbed to his injuries six days later. The rapper’s murder in 1996 made headlines across the world, and had the music industry mourning his loss.
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His career and unresolved death continues to inspire documentaries, such as Nick Broomfield’s 2002 film Biggie and Tupac and RJ Bond’s 2007 documentary Tupac: Assassination. The latter was executive produced by the rapper’s bodyguard, “Big Frank” Alexander, who released his own film in 2001 called Tupac Shakur: Before I Wake….
He was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, with a biopic called All Eyez on Me scheduled to release in June.
Pics: The Burton Wire/The Lantern