A long-awaited biopic on slain rap legend Tupac Shakur is set for release in mid-2017, the film production company said recently. All Eyez On Me, named after the title of one of Tupac's albums, will come out in US theaters on June 16, which would have been the rapper's 46th birthday, Summit Entertainment said. The movie project was announced nearly six years ago with previous participants to include John Singleton, a director closely linked with hip-hop culture whose previous films included 1993's Poetic Justice, a drama starring Tupac and Janet Jackson. But the film underwent a series of personnel changes and missed a goal of release in time for the 20th anniversary of Tupac's still murky 1996 killing in Las Vegas. All Eyez on Me was ultimately led by veteran music video director Benny Boom. Tupac will be played by little-known actor Demetrius Shipp, Jr., whose father was a producer for Tupac. Tupac, who died at age 25, remains one of the most influential figures in hip-hop, retaining a global following for his emotionally intense lyricism and theatrical flair.
