Tupac estate joins lawsuit over defunct biopic

When Notorious pulled in more than $20 million in its first weekend in January, roughly the same amount it cost to produce, a deal for a proposed biopic of Tupac was in its final stages. Amaru Entertainment (founded by Afeni Shakur, Tupac’s mother and controller of his estate) was close to selling the rights to the production company Morgan Creek, but within a couple weeks the pact spiraled into courtroom finger-pointing.

According to THR, both sides agree that Morgan Creek made an offer to produce the movie, but the dispute centers on just how final the contract negotiations were. Amaru, which filed a $10 million counter-complaint in response to an earlier Morgan Creek lawsuit, claims that the deal was still up for grabs by other studios when Morgan allegedly began to tell other producers that their deal was finished to sabotage competitive talks.

Naturally, the disagreement took place primarily in January, right around the time it became clear that Notorious (which followed Tupac's supposed rival, Biggie Smalls) was a hit.

Although Amaru’s complaint claims that Morgan Creek’s actions ultimately killed the movie, no project that can turn an easy profit ever really dies, and a Tupac biopic certainly qualifies.

Related links:
Feature: The Nature of Mother
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