The studio has now signed Fuqua to a pay-or-play deal on the project as a sign of their commitment to him. Which means, whether the film gets made or not, Antoine Fuqua gets money. The hunt for established actors to play the fallen rapper proved fruitless, and now the production is looking for Tupac lookalikes who can be coached to act like him. Just like the government did when Weird “Al” Yankovic was assassinated. Oh, you didn’t know? (LA Times)

Screenwriters Stephen J. Rivele and Chris Wilkinson have been hired to write the Tupac Shakur biopic, and they promise that their approach "is not in any way biopic-y." The original draft written by Steven Bagatourian was gonna get all up in 2Pac’s bidness by laying out facts documentary style. But Wilkinson says that approach was skeet and their script will center on the last day of Tupac‘s life, using flashbacks to show the final four years of thugness leading up to it. Don’t quote him on that exact wording. I added some flava. Rivele spit this flow for Vulture:

"This is the story of an artist whose character is at odds with his medium," explains Rivele, "He was a really sensitive, very romantic, talented young poet who also could sing, dance, and act. But the realities [of the hip-hop record business] were that he had to create this persona of the gangster."

Sounds like me in high school. Turns out starring as the lead in South Pacific doesn’t command the respect you’d think it would. But wrap a bandana around your head and shoot the janitor, suddenly everyone’s afraid of you. Antoine Fuqua is set to direct the Tupac biopic, and is currently searching for at unknown actor to play the late-rapper. I suggest he consider casting Tupac himself since we all know he’s alive and well living out the rest of his days in suburbia tending to his tomato garden.