Tupac Shakur Biopic ‘All Eyez on Me’ Picked Up for Distribution by Major Film Studio
A few months ago, back in late November, producer L.T. Hutton was able to announce that the Tupac biopic All Eyez on Me will be released on June 16, 2017, what would have been Pac’s 46th birthday. Now today, word from Variety and other outlets confirms that release date as the film has picked up distribution by Lionsgate. The film will open against Disney’s Cars 3 and Sony’s Rock That Body.
All Eyez on Me stars Demetrius Shipp Jr. as Pac, with Walking Dead alum Danai Gurira playing his mother Afeni. Benny Boom serves as director and told XXL in February that he hopes to shed some light on Tupac’s story. "What he represents, his image and all of those things mean very different things to very different people. To the kids in the struggle, he means one thing. To women, he’s like the ultimate sex symbol of hip-hop. To those activists who are [about] Black Lives Matter and those organizations, you can still pull things from Tupac lyrics that are messages of things that are happening today. He just means so much. This is why a film is being made about him. He wasn’t just a rapper."
For those who have monitored the film's production closely, the confirmation today represents a distinct finish line for a project once marred by setbacks. In July of last year, it was reported that the film was on hold due to a song dispute and there was a time when the production had trouble holding on to a director.
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