Steve McQueen, director of the Best Picture Oscar winner 12 Years a Slave, is set to helm a full-length featue documentary on hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur. Deadline first announced the news. Estate trustee Tom Whalley, Amaru Entertainment (created by Shakur’s mother), White Horse Pictures, Nicholas Ferrall and Jayson Jackson will produce. Gloria Cox (Shakur’s aunt) will executive produce.
Shakur had a brief time in the limelight, with a recording career of only 5 years before he was murdered in a drive-by shooting in 1996. Nevertheless, he has sold over 75 million records worldwide and his artistry continues to have strong impact in the wold of music. He became the first solo hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
McQueen said in a statement, “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 film has the full authorization of Shakur’s estate as well as the support of Interscope Records, which has access to most of Shakur’s catalog, and Universal Music Publishing Group.
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