The movie about Tupac Shakur's life, "All Eyez On Me," recently finished filming in Atlanta, and the team involved with the project are among those mourning for the rapper's mother, Afeni Shakur .
"I can’t believe it," said casting director Winsome Sinclair during an interview with the AJC. "So soon after losing Prince, it’s just too much."
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Sinclair knew Tupac and her knowledge helped put a sharper focus on some elements of the script.
"I really feel it was a blessing to work on the project," Sinclair said. "This one was personal for me. This isn’t just about a job. This one is personal."
Director Benny Boom posted this simple, powerful image on his Twitter feed:
Demetrius Shipp Jr. plays Tupac in the movie. He posted a series of stunned tweets after the sad news:
Danai Gurira , who plays Michonne on "The Walking Dead," portrays Afeni Shakur.
"Danai did an absolutely wonderful job," Sinclair said. "She was Afeni all the way."
The movie also stars Kat Graham as Jada Pinkett (the movie takes place before she was Jada Pinkett-Smith); Jamal Woolard as Biggie Smalls, Harold House Moore as Dr. Dre and Dominic L. Santana as Suge Knight.
It filmed in Midtown and downtown, with prison scenes shot in Douglasville. It is scheduled for a November release.
Watching the finished product is "going to be hard," Sinclair said. "It was hard to read the script. I know his fans will not be disappointed, though. This story’s been a long time coming."
