The late rapper Tupac Shakur is the subject of an upcoming biopic All Eyez on Me, a long-gestating project that will soon see the light of day. The Hollywood Reporter broke the exclusive that the film – once set to be released by Open Road Films – has found a new home over at Lionsgate (through Summit Entertainment) and will arrive in theaters on June 16th. That date is of particular note because it also happens the birthday of the rap superstar. Shakur would have turned 46-years old this year. He was killed at the age of 25 in Las Vegas in a drive-by shooting.
All Eyez on Me stars newcomer Demetrius Shipp Jr. as Shakur in a feature directed by music video veteran Benny Boon and script credited to Ed Gonzalez and Jeremy Haft. All Eyez on Me chronicles his rise as a performer – he has sold over 75 million records worldwide – as well as his activism and the controversies that followed him at every turn including imprisonment and a tenuous relationship at Death Row Records. Danai Gurira, Kat Graham, Dominic Santana, Jamal Woolard, Keith Robinson, Lauren Cohan and Hill Harper round out the ensemble cast. The film takes its name from Shakur’s fourth studio album, one that sold upwards of 10 million copies.
Ahead of the film’s arrival in theaters, Shakur will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, one more notch to his legacy. All Eyez on Me hits theaters on June 16th where it face off against Pixar’s Cars 3 and the Scarlett Johansson-led R-rated comedy Rock That Body.