John Singleton Will No Longer Direct Tupac Biopic

By Qimmah Saafir Apr 09, 2015

Carl Franklin, director of 1995 hit "Devil in a Blue Dress," has replaced John Singleton as director for Tupac’s upcoming biopic. 

After The Wrap reported the news earlier this week, Singleton expressed some displeasure with how the project is being handled via his Instagram page

Real talk! The reason I am not making this picture is because the people involved aren’t really respectful of the legacy of Tupac Amaru Shakur.

Greg Mielcarz, the executive vice president of marketing and publicity at Morgan Creek Productions, confirmed with the LA Times that Singleton separated from the project due to creative differences a few months ago.

Singleton, who worked with Shakur on the 1993 film "Poetic Justice," says he is "still planning a movie on Tupac," and added, "How you gonna make a movie about a man when you suing his mother to get the rights to tell his story?"

Mielcarz told the Times that there are "no legal issues outstanding," and Afeni Shakur is, reportedly, an executive producer on the film.

Casting for "Tupac," which was written by Jeremy Haft and Ed Gonzalez, began this past Monday, and the production is set to start in September. Open Road Films will distribute the biopic in the U.S.