2Pac Biopic ‘All Eyez On Me’ Trailer Debuts on Rapper’s Birthday [WATCH]
The trailer for All Eyez On Me, the upcoming biopic about the late Tupac Shakur, has debuted online. The film is set to be released this November and is directed by music video veteran Benny Boom and stars Demetrius Shipp as the fallen hip-hop icon.
In the clip, the voice of Pac's mother is heard advising the young soon-to-be-star about the perils of being a young black man in America, as a montage of money, guns, and audiences cheering flash by. In the final moments, Hill Harper (as what appears to be a journalist--possibly former VIBE writer Kevin Powell) is heard asking the rapper:
"You said--and I quote: 'If they kill me, I want people to know the real story.'"
The clip ends with Shipp-as-Shakur smirking knowingly at the camera.
All Eyez On Me has had a bit of a troubled history as a production. The movie was initially supposed to be directed by Antoine Fuqua, who subsequently backed out after it proved difficult to cast for the lead role. John Singleton, a close friend of Shakur's, was expected to take the reins, but that never materialized. The job eventually went to Boom, who has directed numerous music videos for artists ranging from 50 Cent to Busta Rhymes to Ciara; as well as the 2009 feature film Next Day Air.
The film comes on the heels of the critical and commercial success of last year's N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton and, in what is surely a bittersweet factor for all involved, months after the death of Tupac's mother, Afeni Shakur, who was passionate about the project and the maintenance of her son's legacy. It also follows the much-less acclaimed Notorious, the 2009 biopic about the Notorious B.I.G., 2Pac's most famous rival who was also murdered at the height of his popularity.
Jamal Woolard, who played B.I.G. in the earlier film, also appears in All Eyez On Me. Also among the cast are Kat Graham, Clifton Powell, Jamie Hector, Deray Davis, and Walking Dead star Danai Gurira as Afeni Shakur.