’12 Years a Slave’ director locked in for Tupac doco

Tupac Shakur’s life, career and his untimely, violent death will be the subject of a new authorised documentary.

Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen will guide the as-yet-untitled project, which got the nod from the late rapper’s estate.

“I am extremely moved and excited to be exploring the life and times of this legendary artist,” says McQueen, who directed 12 Years a Slave, the 2014 Academy Award winner for Best Motion Picture. “I attended NYU film school in 1993 and can remember the unfolding hip-hop world and mine overlapping with Tupac’s through a mutual friend in a small way. Few, if any shined brighter than Tupac Shakur. I look forward to working closely with his family to tell the unvarnished story of this talented man.”

According to reports, Jayson Jackson and Nigel Sinclair are on-board to produce the doco. Jackson struck Oscars gold as producer for 2015’s What Happened, Miss Simone? and Sinclair has worked on various music-documentaries, including the Ron Howard-directed 2016 flick The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years.

The West Coast hip-hop legend’s journey will be examined through a flurry of silver -screen projects. Music video director Benny Boom’s biopic All Eyez on Me should hit cinemas next month, Johnny Depp will play an L.A cop investigating the murders of Shakur and his rival Notorious B.I.G. in Labyrinth, and a documentary 2Pac — Assassination: Battle for Compton, is also in the works.

Confused? You’re not alone. Though with McQueen calling the shots and a formidable team assembled in support, Tupac’s estate will be confident their film will stand out from the crowd.

The West Coast rapper, poet and activist cut through with his compositions, which ignited discussion about art, race relations, and young black men in the U.S. His recording career spanned just five years, though Tupac sold 75 million records worldwide and in April of this year he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April, becoming just the sixth rapper to enter the shrine.

Tupac was gunned down in a drive-by attack in Las Vegas in September 1996. He died six days later, at the age of just 25. The crime remains unresolved.

This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.