Tupac Shakur Estate trustee Tom Whalley and Amaru Entertainment, the company created by Afeni Shakur to release her son’s posthumous projects, announced today that Nigel Sinclair’s White Horse Pictures and Jayson Jackson will team up to produce a fully authorized documentary with Amaru on the life of acclaimed hip-hop artist, writer and poet Tupac Shakur.
The film will be directed by Academy Award-winning director, Steve McQueen (12 YEARS A SLAVE) and produced by Jayson Jackson (WHAT HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE?) and White Horse Pictures’ Nigel Sinclair (THE BEATLES: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK – The Touring Years) and Nicholas Ferrall, together with Shakur Estate Trustee Tom Whalley. Gloria Cox, Tupac Shakur’s aunt and Afeni Shakur’s only sister, will executive produce along with White Horse’s Jeanne Elfant Festa.
Though his recording career lasted just five years, Tupac Shakur is one of the most popular artists in history, having sold over 75 million records worldwide. Over half of his eleven studio albums have sold in excess of three million copies. Two of his releases, 1996’s All Eyez On Me and his Greatest Hits collection, have been certified Diamond, with sales of over 10 million copies each. In December 2016, it was announced that Tupac Shakur would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the first solo hip-hop artist to be recognized for inclusion. The ceremony took place in Brooklyn, New York on April 7, 2017 and included a musical tribute from Snoop Dogg, Alicia Keys, T.I.. Alongside his musical career, Tupac also found success and critical acclaim as an actor, starring in films Juice, Poetic Justice, Above The Rim, Gridlock’d, and Gang Related.
Tupac’s life and legacy continues to impact and influence culture today, from a groundbreaking performance via hologram at the 2012 Coachella Music and Arts Festival to a spoken word appearance on Kendrick Lamar’s critically acclaimed 2015 To Pimp A Butterfly. In addition, the Tupac Amaru Shakur Foundation, established by his late mother Afeni, provides arts education to children through camps, workshops, scholarships, and other programs.
