LOS ANGELES (AP) - Rapper Tupac Shakur, his posthumous album No.
1 on the charts in the aftermath of his violent death, is the focus
of an upcoming HBO biographical movie, and talks about a feature
film are under way.
The Death Row-Interscope Records album "The Don Killuminati:
The 7 Day Theory," by Shakur, aka Makaveli, sold 664,000 copies in
it's debut week and it's No. 1 on next week's Billboard magazine's
album charts.
HBO Pictures closed the first deal on a Shakur picture. HBO
Pictures executive VP Richard Waltzer signed the deal for "Rebel
for the Hell of It: The Life of Tupac Shakur." Financial terms of
the deal weren't disclosed.
It's based on a six-page book proposal by journalist and film
critic Armond White, who will finish the Thunder's Mouth Press book
by February.
Unidentified sources quoted in Friday's editions of the
entertainment industry trade newspaper Daily Variety that HBO hopes
to have the picture ready by late 1997 or early 1998.
Interest was also building for a motion picture production.
TriStar Pictures was discussing a Shakur project with producers
Quincy Jones and Neal Moritz. Moritz, who produced "Juice," which
marked Shakur's acting debut, confirmed he was in talks to partner
with Jones.
In another deal, Shakur's mother has a book and feature film
proposal to tell the story of a mother and son. A publishing
auction will be held soon for "And Still I Rise," by Afeni
Shakur.
The project is being prepared by "A Different World" TV star
Jasmine Guy with Ilene Kahn and Joan Hyler. Tupac Shakur was shot
just as the three producers began shopping Afeni's story, for which
he was set to write and perform the music. Hyler said the book will
be auctioned soon.
"The story had always intertwined their relationship," said
Kahn, an HBO executive for 10 years.
Hyler and Kahn said actress Angela Bassett was interested in
playing Afeni Shakur.
The rapper died Sept. 13, a week after he was shot several times
in Las Vegas.
November 16, 1996
With Posthumous Album Soaring, Hollywood Bio-Pics in Sights