Will the Tupac and N.W.A. Biopics Battle It Out In Theaters?

Universal Pictures and Morgan Creek Productions are both prepping films about two of hip-hop’s biggest icons, platinum-selling artist Tupac Shakur and trailblazing group N.W.A.

Morgan Creek is working on bringing the story of Tupac Shakur to life, documenting the rise of the rapper, actor and political activist who was gunned down on a street corner in Las Vegas in 1996.  Meanwhile, Universal is working on a feature film about the rap group N.W.A., tracing the early careers of Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and Eazy-E, who died in 1995 due to AIDS-related causes.

While the Tupac film remains untitled, the N.W.A. biopic has been appropriately titled “Straight Outta Compton.” Both of the projects are in the pre-production stages and progressing simultaneously, which means we could possibly see a release date collision and a busy weekend at the box office once the two films arrive.

Randall Emmett, whose Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films is co-financing and producing the Tupac biopic, says there’s enough room in the market for both films since they cover different time periods. “Straight Outta Compton” kicks off in the late 1980s, while the untitled Tupac biopic mostly covers the early 1990s.

John Singleton, who closed a deal in February to direct the long-awaited Tupac biopic, is in the process of writing a new draft of the script and hopes to begin production in June or July. Universal has begun holding open casting calls in downtown Los Angeles and is expected to green-light the N.W.A. film soon.