Early Version of ‘All Eyez on Me’ Included Tupac Being Raped in Prison
John Singleton’s draft included an attack that Shakur denied ever happened
Matt Donnelly | June 26, 2017 @ 3:09 PM
Last Updated: June 27, 2017 @ 9:41 AM
An early version of the Tupac Shakur biopic “All Eyez On Me” included a scene of prison inmates raping the late rapper — an attack that Shakur denied ever occurred.
John Singleton, who was attached as a writer and director on the film before the directing gig went to Benny Boom, wrote a harrowing scene set in a correctional facility — in which several guards allow a group of inmates to assault Shakur.
“The guards usher in one by one about six inmates. Their faces predatory and degenerate. These are the worst prisoners in this facility. One them [sic] licks his lips eyeing ‘Pac,” read script excerpts published by TMZ.
“The guards back away from the door then lock the library. As they walk away we see the six men rush toward Tupac and him fighting them off from the glass in the doorway, the camera pulls away and down the hallway as we hear the horror sounds of the prison,” the script continues.
TheWrap has confirmed it was indeed written by Singleton, with production company Morgan Creek adding that the scene was “one of several versions penned by Mr Singleton while he was working with [us].”
Reps for Singleton declined to comment on the matter. His new FX series “Snowfall,” about the proliferation of crack-cocaine, will premiere July 5.
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Before his death in September 1996, Shakur denied he was ever raped in prison. He vented to the Los Angeles Times in 1995 about “watching the media report all kinds of lies about me, like that I got raped in jail. That never happened.”
That denial didn’t keep Mobb Deep (which lost member Prodigy last week) from referencing Shakur being raped in the 1996 diss track “Drop a Gem On ‘Em.” (Read more about their feud here.)
“All Eyez on Me” has earned over $38 million at the domestic box office, on a reported $40 million budget, despite negative reviews.
Singleton was not the only creative shakeup the project saw. Esteemed TV director Carl Franklin stepped in after Singleton dropped out over creative differences, though he ultimately passed as well. Boom came on board in late 2015.
The final film makes no mention of any assault, though the project did bump up against claims of historical inaccuracies. Actress and Shakur pal Jada Pinkett Smith took issue with specific scenes in the movie that she said didn’t happen in real life.
“The re-imagining of my relationship to Pac has been deeply hurtful,” Pinkett said in early June. While filmmakers expressed respect for the star, they maintain the events depicted in the movie are all based in truth.
12 Music Biopics We'd Like to See, From Amy Winehouse to Prince (Photos)
Tupac died more than 20 years ago, and he's only now getting a proper biopic, “All Eyez on Me,” opening this weekend. That's almost way too long, but Pac's isn't the music history story that still needs to be told. Here are 12 other musical biopics we're dying to see.
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Amy Winehouse Noomi Rapace was in talks to star in a biopic back in 2015 but no film materialized. Winehouse's tragic decline from universally acclaimed young star to gone-too-soon drug addict was captured in the documentary "Amy."
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Janis Joplin This is the white whale of music biopics -- there's even a “30 Rock”gag about how impossible it’s been to get this made. Amy Adams, Michelle Williams, Pink, Zooey Deschanel and more have been interested, but so far no film has been made.
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The Beatles Yes, we know there are many movies about the most famous band in history. But Mike Ryan over at Uproxx had a cool idea we second: turn The Beatles into a shared universe, with films for each member during different eras, from Beatlemania to Sgt. Peppers.
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Liam and Noel Gallagher of Oasis Less interesting than the band's enormous success is the fact that its two principle figures - brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher - hate each other's guts. Their animosity broke up the band and Liam regularly trolls Noel on Twitter. Tell that story.
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Kurt Cobain More than 20 years after his death, the Nirvana frontman remains misunderstood, and a biopic in the vein of the Joy Division movie “Control” would show equal parts of Cobain’s humor, talent and depression.
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Carole King This is already happening - it's called “Beautiful,” based on the recent stage adaptation of the singer/songwriter’s life. But the film still needs a star. We know Sara Bareilles is a fan.
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Chuck Berry Many artists he directly-influenced have gotten biopics, but not the legend himself, who died in March. His artistic legacy as well as his thorny personal history are stories in dire need of telling.
The Replacements The Minneapolis band were an important part of the history of American alternative rock. Their music and tempestuous lifestyle -- they were banned from SNL after performing drunk -- makes for perfect garage rock drama.
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The Strokes The Strokes came out of nowhere in 2001 and were immediately hailed as the saviors of rock and roll. That claim didn't pan out, but the band's huge success in what amounts to the tail end of Rock's dominance in pop culture is a story worth telling.
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Prince and Michael Jackson The legendary musicians lived almost cinematic lives, but their 1980s artistic and pop-charts rivalry deserves a biopic of its own. It would have to include an almost too-good-to-be-true moments like their 1983 on-stage “duel” in front of James Brown and a not-so-friendly game of ping-pong.
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“All Eyez On Me” documents the career of Tupac Shakur. What other musicians should get their own films?
Tupac died more than 20 years ago, and he's only now getting a proper biopic, “All Eyez on Me,” opening this weekend. That's almost way too long, but Pac's isn't the music history story that still needs to be told. Here are 12 other musical biopics we're dying to see.