News of November 30, 2015
Benny Boom Takes Over the Tupac Biopic
Third director and expiring deadlines: Morgan Creek brings in Benny Boom for the Tupac biopic before music rights revert to Afeni Shakur.
The deadline was ticking down for Morgan Creek: as Billboard reported, the music rights would revert to Tupac’s mother Afeni Shakur at the end of the year if the film was not in production by then. In late November 2015, the studio hired video director Benny Boom to direct the Tupac film. Billboard, Rolling Stone, Vibe, and The Source all reported the hiring in unison.
Two Predecessors and a $10 Million Lawsuit
Boom has directed two feature films, including the action comedy Next Day Air (2009), and music videos for artists including Snoop Dogg and Keyshia Cole. Carl Franklin, who had stepped in during the spring for the departed John Singleton, had quietly left the project, according to Billboard. In the midst of these fresh disputes, producers Emmett/Furla had taken legal action against Morgan Creek in late October with a $10 million lawsuit (report on this).
Filming Begins a Few Weeks Later
Billboard pointed out that following the success of Straight Outta Compton, a Tupac film was considered especially attractive. Morgan Creek met the deadline: filming began a few weeks later (see Start of shooting and lead actor).